Birdhouses

I'm behind on my "Birdhouses" BOTM, among other things.............summer has just gotten in the way & that Little Princess, too. I did manage to get 2 done today.....just positioned and ironed down. I'll get the stitching done at retreat next month.

Little Princess

Ayden is practicing her texting skills. Notice the Binky in her mouth.

She can't decide whether to spit that out to put the cell phone in or try for both........LOL.....I just had to share it video with you all.

Favorite Fabric Monday

Shangri-la by 3 Sisters for Moda - Pattern #3885. I have about a half yard of this and no plans.....as usual. Maybe I'll made a scrapy Log Cabin or something.

Eeeeeekkkkkkk - Dream Machine

I didn't do anything....... No, I didn't do anything but somehow my "Follower" sidebar thingy was removed. I am so upset about this. Ugly words, ugly words!!!!! If you are a "Follower" of my blog please bear with me as I try to find out what in the world happened.

This is my dream machine. The Janome - Memory Craft 11000. Remember Jerri and I bought ours May 2008. I haven't sewn on it yet because I've been too busy embroidering. My girlfriends pointed out that I should try sewing on it...."Bite your tongue," I said. But they got me to thinking that I really wasn't utilizing it so come next retreat, the Janome is the only machine I'm taking........maybe.

What I love about this machine is it has a knee lever so that I don't have to use my hands to raise the presser foot. The bobbin winder can be wound to more or less thread....I like to really load up my bobbing. The screen is very easy to see and the DVD that came with it has clear instructions. Several of my "wackhy" friends have Janomes which is an added bonus because we can share ideas and help one another.

I have to also mention that I have a PFAFF Creative 7570 sewing machine which as far as sewing goes is fantastic. I've owned it for 12years or so and have no complaints. As you, by now, have guessed, my sewing time is divided in to. While I'm piecing blocks on the PFAFF, I'm embroidiering on the Janome. I keep a log of the time I spend on both just to see how my time is spent. I post on my sidebar at the end of each month. Lately, it seems I've slowed down......oh dear.

Favorite Fabric Monday on Tuesday/Ayden

Hi everyone! I don't know how this week snook up on me but it did. So it's Tuesday evening & I'm posting about my favorite fabric of the week. This one is "Sturbridge Village Scarlet" by Judie Rothermel inspired by The Old Sturbridge Village Collection for Marcus Brothers Textiles, Inc. This fabric is really stunning in person & could easily be apart of a Christmas quilt or a scrap quilt.

Ayden came for a visit yesterday. She had just gotten 2 shots and was not happy with that old doctor. So GoGo was happy to cheer her up with lots of kisses. She is now crawling, sort of. By that I mean she can crawl forward but not in any other direction. She loves cell phones and my camera. Notice she took a picture of her shoe.

The History of "Aprons"

I love aprons!

A wonderful email was sent to me by my girlfriend Judy-Judy! It was timely as I had just signed up for an Apron Swap. The subject was, The History of Aprons, which immediately caught my attention. I wanted to share it with all my blogger-friends.

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those bid old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the Autumn, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Remember the 3 fabrics I showed you in a previous post....this is the results.

I made another just to see if I could do it again.......LOL "Four Corners Apron" is the pattern from Vanilla House Designs (P132) http://www.vanillahousedesigns.com/ I give this pattern 3 snaps up! Did I tell you that I love aprons!

Give Away Winner

Sandy, your name was drawn from the "hat" this morning. Actually, it was a TupperWare bowl. Congrats to you! Just "E" me your mailing address and it's yours!

These pictures don't come close to showing the beauty of this fabric - "Red's Meadow" by R.J.R. Fashion Fabrics. I purchased it years ago and am down to a smidgen......I would love to find more but, alas, my search has turned up nada, zilch, zip.....NOTHING!

This fabric has been used in animal quilts, partly as a fish design, several bird patterns and I don't know what else but I do truly love it.

It's Just Too Hot!

Hi GoGo!

I was touring the zoo with mommy and daddy and everything was going well. All those animals with fur, feathers, scales, wings and stuff that you don't care for............but then I got really hot and my eyes started to droop........I could hardly keep my binky in my mouth................things got really fuzzy. The next thing I knew, I was at home. What happened in the mean time.............well......I'm not sure.

200 Little Squares

Alrighty then! I'm well on my way to cutting 800 - 2 1/2" squares for myself. Yes, you heard me. One of my "wacky" friends or maybe two of them, came up with yet another challenge for our group. We are to swap 2 1/2" squares for a tumbler type quilt in the Fall. The catch is that we each have to cut 7 sets of 100 tiny, little squares to share..............DIFFERENT........fabrics mind you. Now, I must admit, I first I thought this was a fantastic idea. I was envisioning all sorts of quilts but now that I've started........eeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk! I did get the 7 sets of 100 done and packaged in "zip locs" (don't ask), thank goodness! I wasn't going to be the one without my part done, looking chagrin in November. No sir-ree! Do I have eight hundred fabrics in my stash? You know, all those fat quarters, yardage and scraps I have hidden somewhere?...................ssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......Don't answer it so loudly...............let's keep this just between you and me............Okay! hehehehehehehe

Back In Action

Well, I'm back to sewing......finally. Here's a sneak peek at my next project. The blue fabric is one of my new favorites........LOL.......I have so many. It's "Ranchero" by nancy J. Smith and Lynda S. Milligan from Possibilities for Avlyn Inc. So, believe it or not, it's a western type fabric but I see other possibilities! Stay tuned to see what else develops.

Favorite Fabric Monday

"Spirit of the Season II" by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Textiles, Inc.

As most of you know, green is my favorite color. So when I saw this piece, I just had to have it. I have no project in mind at this time but I'm sure that something will present itself very soon.

Mad Science Continued....

We had a blast. There were experiments everywhere....even the adults got involved. The kids loved their aprons and goggles. At the end of the experience they were awarded certificates that asserted they status of Mad Scientists!

Mad Science

Shhhhhhhhhhh! I'm off to visit my friend Jerri. She's hosting a Science Party for her 2 adorable granddaughters and their friends. Jerri asked if I would help, well, I kind of volunteered because I love science so much. It's the teacher thing.........LOL.........anyway, I've made 4 little aprons, each with 1 large pocket and embroidered each child's name along with a cutesy Logo. This apron is very easy to make only took me about 5 hrs. to make four. For the experiments, I've decided to go with Sounds, Physical Change, Chemical Change, Inertia and Motion. Add to that a couple of "zingers"....can't really talk about those....sorry. There are several great child friendly websites that can supply you with loads of ideas. Also, some sites allow parents to order fun science stuff! If you're looking for things to do this summer, think about planning a science party.

July Emboridery Give Away

Greetings Followers! I'm back with my next give-away. As you can see this depicts hands on a Bible. It is one of my favorites because it looks like a pencil etching. It can be yours if you are a FOLLOWER of my blog and you leave a comment on this POST. As mentioned, the design measures roughly 5 1/2" X 7" with plenty of fabric left for trimming.

BTW......the deadline is July 15th to leave a comment on this post!!!