Productive Weekend?

This is Hat Trick (Schibbles) and is being made with scraps.  It's this months Year of Schnibbles vintage quit and I'm using it for today's Scrap Basket Sunday.  I haven't signed in with either blog but will sometime this week.  I finally figured out how to load my pictures the old way.

This was tonight's beautiful sunset.  After sleet and hail and rain all day who would have thought we would be treated to this beauty!

This I discovered as I was reading one of my favorite blogs.  Good thing I didn't have any drink in my mouth.  I don't feel like cleaning a monitor.  After the week it's been, this is kinda how I feel.

It doesn't look like I had a very productive weekend but if I were to make a list it was.  Only one window still needing sheers made.  Three windows are now blindless!  Whoo-Hoo!  I despise those things.  They also found a new home before they were even down!  Did I get to touch the quilt I wanted to quilt?  Yup, moved it from Miss Lilly to the rocking chair.  Ashes thought it made a nice bed.

It's an early morning tomorrow.  Maybe I should get some Smarties to hand out to some co-workers if needed tomorrow.  Hope I don't need them.

Later....

Good Ole Vermont Weather!

Good Ole Vermont weather!  This morning began with ice on the windshield and raining pellets.  By the time I arrived at work it was like nothing had happened weather wise.  This afternoon was the call from school about no after school buses because of the weather.  What?  Because of the weather?  It was snowing when I left work and arrived home to find that the plows had been out.  The wind was howling and it sure was fun driving in it.  I'm home now and don't have to go back until Monday.  This weekend is suppose to be nice but cold.  I'll take that.  It sure is pretty on the mountains, just not on the roads.

On the quilting front, I took apart the progress I had made on the Schnibbles "Hat Trick".  I found that it had too much yellow.  We'll (dd & I) get it all to play nice.  I would also like to get the simple quilting done on my first really scrappy kinda Sister's Choice quilt.  I say kinda Sister's Choice because mine is sashed but Bonnie Hunter's isn't.  It's my first really scrappy because it's really scrappy for me.  I'm an organized scrappy at most.  I really like it.  I'm going to give it to my boss when it's finished.  We all have been going through a lot in the last month at work.  She deserves it.

DD will probably do some baking in the new stove.  We couldn't see putting as much money into something to fix when we could get a new for just a few more $$.  We decided to switch from gas to electric.  We had to run a new line to the kitchen for it but I feel much safer now.  I didn't mind the range part being gas but was very scared of the oven being gas.

How fast a year goes by.  It's starting to feel like home.  We still have lots of little things to do, but they require outdoors and if today was any indication it's going to be a while.  I wish I had taken before shots, too bad the camera had been packed away.

I hope to be back soon...now that I found my password!

Just Because...

I'm not sure I like the new format.  I've been busy on my costume.  I don't sew many garments.  I can do it, just don't enjoy it as well as quilting.  This costume is elaborate for me.  It's enjoyable to be challenged and trying to figure out different outcomes.  Why am I doing this costume?  I'm to old to "trick or treat", not going to a  party, not dressing up for work, etc.  Then why?  Just because....

Halloween is my favorite time of year.  Never really knew why.  Maybe the colors,  the ability to be someone you aren't, or maybe the ability to really let the child in me come out.

Because we have moved, it's different this year.  For the first time in forever we will have "trick or treaters".  Don't know how many but have been told lots.  I'm so looking forward to this.  DD is 16 and has done that scene.  She is my accomplice.  She enjoys it just as much.

If this turns out as expected, I will post pictures when I find my camera cable and remember how to do it that way.  Use to just put the card in the desktop...but that's down...back to the old ways.

till later....Dona

Finally!

I am finally able to post!  It has been a crazy year.  We have had to move, death in family, computers crashing, anything and everything.

Now I have to find my camera.  My sewing room is the "catch all" at the moment.  I am able to sew and have done a few things.  I kinda get to design it from scratch.  I have a lot of down-sizing to do, but that's ok.  I'm learning to be happy with my scrap quilting.  I'm also finding stuff I didn't realize I had.

Till later....Dona

I must be crazy!

I kinda have a resolution this year.  If I start a new project i have to finish an old.  It's ok if it stops at a top.  I call myself a topper!  So I started the Block a Palooza, twice in fact, and that means 2 projects need to get completed.

My mini baskets has been on my mind for a while that I started almost a year ago.  It called my name today.  While looking for it I had found another project I started about the same time.  That's what got my attention today.  I actually finished it to topper done stage.  So why am I crazy?  Because it needed more color and a border, and I think I only had scraps left.

Funny how one thing leads to another.  So that meant I had to find my mini scrap bin and then go through it to find those scraps.  Found both but the scraps were narrow pieces.  Here comes the crazy part!  They were only 3/4 wide!!!  I sewed them together into strata's.  I now have multiple strip sections that measure about 3 1/2 by 2 1/2.  I then sewed these together.  Ok almost twice the length, we'll just cut it into 1 1/4 wide.  That should be enough.  Just barely!  Good thing this is a baby quilt size, newborn babe size.   I  think it turned out pretty cute.  Binding will be done in the turquoise print.

I've called it Spinwheels.

Because of the 10" of snow today, store closed early so no work for me tonight.  The baskets will be the next project with the double wedding ring in between.  That one is for another post.  I have got to learn how to post my pictures from flicker somehow.

See ya soon,  Dona

I'm Back!

Well I bet you have been wondering what happened to me?  Lot's!  Lost a couple of computers...want to get them repaired because expensive software only works with xp and I'm not buying upgrades.  Laptop is hooked up to desktop monitor...finally got it working, how?  don't know but it works to get me where I need to.

Ok, now to find my blog...easy right? not! I have been searching for about a month.  Couldn't remember password, which email, etc.  Finally have it.  Hopefully this post works.

More quilty stuff will get posted soon...I just want to know if this works.

Until then.....Dona

Decisions!?

Do we start from the beginning of the parade or the end?  Maybe I'll just pick my favorite and start there.  Which is my favorite?  Do I pick the favorite pattern or favorite color?  Decisions, decisions.  Maybe I just won't start with a quilt.

Here is the latest addition to the family.  ASHES!  I knew right off that was her name.  We got her on June 1.  She was only 5 weeks old.  I know they should be older than that.  She came from a farm and we had been waiting for mom to let them make their appearance to the world.  She kept them hidden pretty good.  Ashes came out and rubbed against the farmer's leg and that was it.  We think she was the runt.  She has 6 other brothers and sisters (we found out a month later).  She was so tiny and loveable.  She is the only one who will let anyone pet her.  The rest will only come about 6 feet from you and that was just last week.  She's still on the small side but we love her just the same.  She was meant to be with us.  Recently she has taken to staying outside all day hanging out over the railing.  Yes, I did say hanging over the railing.  Her belly is flat with her legs hanging over each side.  What a riot.  She won't be doing that when there is 6 inches of snow in her spot. 

Oh, and at night she thinks my mouse should hang by it's tail!  (My wireless one is a pain to use).

Speaking of that horrible white stuff...here are my tuffets I made for the month of December.  Mine are not pincushions...they are hot mats, mug rugs, coasters,...what ever is your favorite title.  I put insul-brite in them.  The flag tuffet is made like a pillow cover so you could put a pincushion bag in it if you would like.  They are the scraps from xmas gifts.  The xmas gifts were dresden plates with insul brite in them to use as large hot mats, place mats, or plate chargers as I gave them in sets of 4.

4 plate size chargers, the center piece one was the same just bigger at 20" side to side.



The colors in the charger picture are more accurate.  These (dresdens) were a bit challenging in trying to figure out how to finish the edges.  I wasn't going to miter all those points.  I hade 4 sets of 5 each (4 plate size and 1 gigantic) to finish.  The backing of each was a circle with the edges turned under so it that ran just inside of the valley of each peak on the back side.

My Dulcinea was made with April Cornel's Sunshine collection (almost 12 schnibbles to make this queen quilt).  I had bought the fabric a couple of years ago and set it aside for a strip quilt thinking I had a 1/2 yard bundle.  I needed to make a wedding gift and when I bought this pattern I knew those fabrics would work.  Turns out they were FQ's.  I knew they would all play together.  Why wouldn't they, they're all from the same collection.

  You have to understand I do not do well with scrappy quilts.   That is one of the reasons that I decided to do this.  I saw it as a challenge to myself to "work out of my box".  I also saw them as a way to use up some of the humgust stash and maybe be able to complete them.  NOT.  I haven't seen a dent in the stash; but alot of organizing has happened.  Although the top pile is a bit bigger, it's easier to quilt one of these than to push and wrestle with one as big a Dulcinea.  No wonder I'm mostly a topper!

Remember your quilt WILL get finished ...Stitch by Stitch