One Creative Family

Hand surgery went great and I am healing well.  I even did a little sewing the day after.  I hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoyed lots of sweets.  I know we did.

I have been making little “kits” that will be easy to throw in a small bag and take places where you are just sitting and waiting.  April 1 brings many things to our house hold.  Starting with a White Easter.  I have lived in Missouri for 45 years and have never seen a white Easter and we got less than 1 inch of snow that has caused things to get slick.  Next week Hubby gets more tests done (Dr. waiting rooms) and then surgery on the 11th and a week in the Hospital.  I have been getting these little projects ready to be able to kill time.

I have been working on a new quilt using fabrics from our trip to the Southwest a few years ago.

here are a few of my blocks so far.Hopefully it will look like this when done.Any new projects going on?

If anyone is looking for new inspiration check out this blog.  Some great stuff here.

https://farmhousequilts.blog/2018/03/

Just one more photo of our Easter Morning 

Here is wishing everyone a very Happy Easter and a great Sunday.

This morning while killing time before Ms. Destiny came to spend the day with us(3 yr old granddaughter) I didn’t want to get started on something I couldn’t put aside when she arrived.  I decided to straighten the fabric stash and was wondering “Why did I buy this?”  Then the light bulb FLASHED on.  Grab a post it note and pencil, wrote what I wanted to make out of it. Then I pinned it to the fabric and made a stack for these.  I am keeping that stack to about 5-8 small projects or 1 or 2 med projects or everything for that big project.    This is probably something everyone does anyway but it just hit me like a ton of bricks. The next thing I will do is cut each project out and stack it where I can reach it really quick and go to town.

A while back we went to Hancock of Paducah, KY and one of the pieces I purchased was this.  Didn’t have a project then for it and don’t have one now, but the fabric just drew my attention several times so I bought some.  Any suggestions?Well all my little angel has arrived, so while we have our “snowball fights” with my fiberfill and build a fort out of some old quilt batting we will send lots of giggles your way.  Happy Monday and enjoy the creative process.

Have been working on table runners, pet mats, quillows, and finishing up so many little things that I have started.  My goal is to finish WHIPs this week.  Mission accomplished. Tues carpal tunnel surgery and not sure how long I won’t be able to sew.  I can start new projects once I can.  I also have some embroidery and applique ready to work on in a few weeks.  Won’t be having too much time in the sewing room for a week or 2 in April.

Now on to the question of the day…….HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE YOUR DIGITIZED PATTERNS, OR IDEAS FOR FUTURE PROJECTS?  I have so many and when looking for then I spend so much time trying to find them that I just say to heck with it.  I have embroidery files that I am trying to organize also.  Just so much going thru the brain these days and I need organization.  My fabrics are all organized to where I can see and get to it anytime.  same with the threads.  Just not my data.  So far I am trying to organize by projects.

All suggestions welcome.

 

Since I don’t have a long arm quilting machine I decided I needed to find something that makes my quilting easier. Especially on those large King Size quilts.  I did just that.  I found something called “Sewslip multi-purpose sheets” from Gossamer Designs.  I love it.  It measures 18×12 and sits on your machine arm.  There is a hole that fits over the dogfeed of the machine.  This makes the quilt sandwich just slide around.  It reduces the drag from a not so slick machine base and doesn’t take as much flopping the quilt, or tugging of it.  I first saw this on a Youtube video by Man Sew and is sold thru Missouri Star Quilts. (I am sold on both these places.  I paid under $30 for it and two years later it is still like new.  Believe me it is on the machine at least once a week.

What do you use to help make your quilting go smoothly?  I am always on the look out for new gadgets. Now I have heard that the silicone baking sheets work also and are cheaper.  Your thoughts on this?  I have never used them even in baking.

Here is a BIG AND IMPORTANT  question for any quilters out there.  How do you decide what to quilt where on a quilt? This is my biggest struggle and am constantly trying to choose.  Sometimes I just know, but not for the most part.

Just a bit of useless information………………TODAY IS ICE CREAM DAY.  Go out and enjoy some.

Alicia has been very busy making little “Flower Dolls,” and Sweet Babies.  With a change in jobs she has been getting a new routine together and not been as creative as she would like.  She did work a night job and now is working days and it is taking time to adjust.  Now she is out making her Dear Ole Mom.  Here are a few of the things she is making.

1. The Flower Baby.Destiny tested.  “She is just perfect.”  Little hand tested.
2. Crochet Baby Doll with changeable clothes.
   

   

   Dress can be changed, shoes come off, and yessssssssssssssssssssAndddddddddd  changeable shorts.  Aren’t these so cute.  She is thinking of making a few outfits  to sell separate.  She does amazing work.

More to come…… have a creative day.

Looking at the calendar and seeing Easter only a few days away brings a dance in my soul.  I have already started “Spring cleaning” and looking forward to open windows and a nice breeze and fresh air blowing thru the house.  This afternoon we will bring up and antique marble top dresser from downstairs guest room up to the sewing room where I can store some fabric in and get rid of stacks of things.

I want to start picking out paint for the inside of the house and have a New fresh look.  My son and daughter in law(I hate this word, I couldn’t love her more if she was my own) said they would help and I am sure his sisters will be joining in.  Will be such fun.

This May we will be celebrating 2 Granddaughters graduating from High School and starting to prepare themselves for college.  I can’t believe just yesterday they were little running around the house playing dress up.  For the most part we are a very Blessed World.  3 Granddaughters getting ready for Prom.

Enjoy your days and treasure every minute of it.  Good or bad, embrace them.

Well I finished the quilt I was struggling with and I will admit it does look better than I thought it would.  I am glad.  I just need a little more color, but this is for someone else not me.  I really hope she likes it

Now is the time to move on to the next project.  Finish a Quillow and then I will figure something out.  I can honestly always find something new or update old things.  Last night I went thru some books my Mother In Law had and found a pattern from the 70’s. It is Hexies and is a “50 State Hexagon Quilt”  If anyone is interested in making this just leave a comment and I will post all of what I have.  Will also make it so it is a good quality.

I also found these magazines and am surprised because she didn’t quilt and did not like sewing.These magazines had adds on the back to order other magazines for 50 cents.  When was the last time you ordered a magazine for 50 cents?

You all have a wonderful day and be kind to yourselves.

Have you ever wondered how on God’s Good Green Earth did I get myself into this mess?  That is where I am at right now.  I am working on a quilt that I was asked and I agreed to make.  The story is the mother and daughter were working on this quilt(they had cut the pieces only) before the mother’s health took a turn for the worse and the daughter put it to me, “We would like the quilt finished before she dies” (she is 89 and in a nursing home in poor health).  I said ok.  I was given the block and no idea what came next.  Daughter said anything.  I did a bargello pattern.  Once finished my daughter took a picture to show the daughter and guess what?  She wanted a 9 patch block. I took it apart and made the 9 patch.  I am starting to quilt it and look at it and get frustrated with myself, because I am finding I dislike this quilt and have avoiding the quilting because I don’t want to mess it up.  Hubby said it was flat in colors.  It doesn’t  seem to have a personality that I can enhance with the quilting.

So my question is how do you quilt a quit and make it look good even when you don’t “feel it”, “it doesn’t speak to you”. etc.  however you want to phrase it?

I will be working on the quilting this afternoon.  I did decide I will be using a variegated purple thread.  I think that will add a pop to it that it is missing.  Maybe that will bring what it is missing.  I know everyone’s taste is different.  I have to have a splash of color in my quilts.  Actually most have a little more than a splash.

What is your taste in colors?  Does it depend on the quilt? How do your quilts or your projects speak to you?

Happy making today.

We were out yesterday shopping and stopped in at a few Antique Shops in town and was looking for old buttons.  I was shocked!  One store had “Antique Buttons” in a quart jar and was asking $100. for them.  Yes, the decimal is in the right place.  These were not that old either.  In the second store she had an Old Mason jar with the zinc lid on it, the jar had a blueish tint to it full of old buttons for $18.50, and she sold them to me for $15.

I like old buttons, the look, feel, and the uniqueness of them.  As I went thru the buttons I found some big (size of a silver dollar) silver and rhinestone buttons and even some metal ones.  The metal ones were painted white.  I also found a few mills that were used during WWII.  You find such wonderful things.  

I will be hitting some Estate Sales and Thrift stores for buttons.  The one Antique store was a little loco to think $100 was a good price for buttons.

What do you like to collect?  What attracts you to them?  Do you use them or just look at them?

I do use the buttons from time to time.