LETTER TO SANTA

Santa Baby, put some fabric under the tree, for me.....I've been a really good girl, Santa Baby.... "Sent with Love" would really thrill me.

Something to make a valentine, would really make my spirits shine.

Pretty reds and rosy pinks, would work up really well now, don't you think?

Thanks, Santa, baby...appreciate you thinking of me, you see...

I've been a really good girl, Santa baby....this FQB would really thrill me.

The Fat Quarter Shop is accepting letters to Santa, and promising that Santa may even grant a few wishes. Check out the give-away here, at The Jolly Jabber.

NOTES ON A WEDNESDAY MORNING

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I've got one item out of the way...cookbooks for the gals on my list. "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" will be released the end of the month, and I can't wait to get MY hands on it. Her web site is amazing, http://thepioneerwoman.com, and I know the gals who receive this book will be delighted.

And that's it as far as my shopping. We don't have a large gift list, and most of the younger people want gift cards or cash, so our shopping isn't real stressful. But I miss the shopping in a way. We'd go out in the evening, have a nice dinner, and then shop the mall. But I REALLY miss the days when shopping meant you were OUTSIDE, on the streets...going from store to store. You'd pass friends on the sidewalk, everyone bundled up against the crisp, cold night air, and you'd duck into a store just to warm up and find the most wonderful gift. Sadly those days are a thing of the past.

I'd like to have a quilt hanger for Christmas. Maybe two. That's about it. I'd ask for quilt fabric or books, but I have an amazing amount of them already, and truth be told....last night I was cleaning off my sewing room table and found the stack of receipts for my fabric ordering, and in glancing through them I found one for a kit I had totally forgotten I had! It's a beautiful applique pattern called "Tea Rose Garden"...and I haven't the foggiest idea where it is. I searched for about 15 minutes last night and didn't find it. Keep in mind that I have lots of plastic tubs with different fabric collections or kits in each one....all nicely labeled...and I didn't come across this particular one. So today that is my goal...find Tea Rose Garden! And then put my Winter White schnibble together. And start a wall hanging for my friend in SC. Can I get it done by Christmas? Hope so! LOL!

Oh, and I accepted Nicole's challenge to finish something I'd started and quit...known as a UFO in the quilting world, so that means I need to get back to working on that baby quilt. Baby is due next week, I think.

So, that's my day. How's yours going?

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009

I tried to add this photo further into the post, but it won't let me. So...it's here at the beginning of my post instead of with the quilt show photos. This photo is another from the quilt show that I particularly liked. These pretty little flowers make me happy!

This is a photo of my first schnibble, "Winter White"...finished except for the sandwiching, and binding. You can see where all those flying geese in my last post went! I didn't think the colors were going to work in my home, but after bringing it into the living room, I think it may look nice on the stair wall behind my chair. It will also look nice on the wall here in my office room. The next schnibble pattern, Cindy Lou Who,is on it's way, and I intend to make it in colors that will work for a table topper in my dining room. These are small quilts...I believe this measures 38x38.

These are some photos from the quilt show we attended Saturday. There weren't a lot of really stand-out quilts this year, for some reason. Pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. And we forgot to take our camera with us, so unfortunately the photos of the quilts we did like, were taken with our cell phones and don't do them justice. This quilt was from a block-of-the-month called "Vintage Valentine." It's just beautiful. Michael said I should make one like it. I searched the internet, and found a quilt shop that was offering it, but it's very expensive. The 12 small blocks surrounding the center medallion were $30 each, plus shipping...the center medallion was $75, the backing was $55, and the "finishing" kit which included the fabric for the borders and binding, was another $65. So....since they weren't selling just the pattern, I won't be making this quilt. But that is why BOM quilts are so popular...one can more easily afford the $35 per month, rather than paying for a whole quilt kit up front.

This pattern is an old one... "Drunkard's Path." I've not done a lot in curved piecing, but it's on my future "to do" list. (Not this particular pattern, but one with curves.)

This is another quilt from the quilt show. I liked the colors, and the "feathered" star points.

I KNEW IT WAS COMING 9/30/09

You try to prepare yourself for what you THINK is going to happen, but all that preparation doesn't count for much when the reality actually appears. We know the economy is in bad shape, and we know it's greatly affecting just about everything, but still..... Hubby got the word today (was it the grapevine or official? I think it's in the grapevine stage) that his employer will be shutting down their operations for the year some time in October. I'm sure it will depend on the weather, but since October weather is anything BUT dependable, I'm guessing it will be sooner than later that they will close their doors for the year. This usually happens two weeks before Christmas and lasts until mid-January. I'm betting it's going to last a lot longer this time.

So now we're faced with a lot of time off....but no money to allow us to do anything fun or creative. He'll receive a decent unemployment that should cover all our monthy expenses except food, and we've put money away all year in preparation. It'll be okay. But it won't be fun.

I've got lots of fabric for quilt sewing...beautiful stuff, and lots of patterns to choose from. Books from the library are free. Rides to the beach, or into the forests that surround us, don't cost much in gas. Michael has a whole month of hunting season that he can enjoy. And a boat for fishing. Maybe I can get him to spread some of that red rock around the flower beds, and paint a wall or two....and make some baseboards. Or put up the ceiling tile in my sewing room, and paint or wallpaper the walls.

Lots of projects.....lots of time. Maybe it'll be more fun than I thought!

QUILTING PHOTOS

These are the block-of-the-month quilt blocks for the Mystery Designer Quilt I am doing. Each month the pattern and fabric for one block arrives. The fabric is the beautiful Moda fabric, "Glace'." I am really liking this quilt so far. The fabric is so pretty, and the blocks are fun. It's nice to have only one a month to work on...you don't feel rushed, and you can take your time making sure everything squares up, all the points are there, and the finished size is a perfect 12.5 inches.

These are the flying geese units for the Winter White Schnibble I am working on. There are36 units, to be framed around a single 4" square....the easy part!

The black, red, and white quilt should be laid out where the squares are "on point". I wasn't aware it was incorrect for this photo, and then my batteries died.....so there you are.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009

Good morning! It's another beautiful one. Oh, I love these days that are so fall-like. Crisp, sunny....I mean really, who doesn't? What's not to like? Just for the record, even tho the calendar says it's fall, I have not put out my fall decorations or Autumn Walk scented candle. Nope. The ceramic pumpkins, pitcher filled with autumn leaves, and pumpkin wall hanging have to wait until the calendar turns over to October 1. That's the rule.

I have been busy quilting. And reading. It's a wonder my eyes can focus this morning. Yesterday afternoon I made 76---count 'em---76 flying geese units. Made and squared up. The rest of the schnibble challenge should go together quickly...which is the whole point about schnibbles. The finished product will be about 38" square, I believe, so I'm thinking it will make a table topper...or hang on some small wall space.

Sat up til 11:30 to finish "The Castaways." It was okay....I just wanted to be done with it and on to "The Lacemakers of Glenmara."

Michael working again this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful he's getting in some overtime. But since next weekend is the Ocean Shores quilt show, I'm hoping he'll be around....or it will be a hasty trip after church Sunday.

Speaking of church....we're thinking of finding a new one. Last weekend we attended a different one, and really liked the service. Which is our main complaint about our current church. Is that enough to make you seek out a new church? Just because you don't like the way the preacher .... preaches? We love the people...we've been there 11 years. I am their sec/treasurer. Michael is an usher. We fit in, we're so comfortable there, I enjoy my work there and feel the Lord is using me...but spiritually, something is lacking. If you find yourself planning your grocery list during the middle of the sermon, isn't something wrong? Is it with ME? Hmmmm. So we're going to look around...visit a few churches and test the waters. I gave a heads up to our deacon board chair, told him that we were looking, and told him why. I think he was stunned...leaving without saying a whole lot. But when I saw him yesterday, I got the whole spiel of how they don't want to lose me (of course they don't....they'd have to find a whole new person to do what I do...for free). He was stressed....depressed...and said he'd have a talk with the pastor on Monday, not wanting to get him riled up before he had to preach on Sunday. I know the pastor....he will not take kindly to criticism. And why should he be asked to change his methods on my account? The congregation is actually growing...strange to me, but true. I guess we all want different things...and so shouldn't we go seeking what we need? I'm praying about it, of course.

Time for shower...breakfast...and sewing on that schnibble. Have a great day!

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

First day of fall....gorgeous out. Is it really supposed to be 85 today? The furnace did not come on this morning, and it was 65 when we went to bed at 11:30 last night. How one day can be so different from another...

Expecting Sue, my UPS buddy, to be stopping in today with a bundle of fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop. Aster Manor, Mill House Inn, and Rouenneries...some of the delights I can't wait to get my hands on. Tho I'll probably do nothing more than pet them at this point. Fabric so beautiful demands the perfect setting, and so I'll be looking through my patterns to find just the right one.

I've got some Gobble Gobble put away, and should probably be thinking of a quick fall project for that. And of course, it's time to whip up something new for the Christmas holidays...a wall hanging, table runner, something quick.

In two weeks there is a quilt show at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. Lots of lovely quilts will be hanging for display...those by Cleo Merrill are always a favorite. The woman has such an eye for color, and she hand quilts everything, which of course is a trait I admire...and practice myself. I wonder if she has issues with arthritis like I do? I sometimes wonder how much longer I will be able to do that.

Besides beautiful quilts to admire, there are vendors of quilting tools, sewing machines, and fabric. My favorite is the Quilter's Roost, a shop out of Everett. Jodi Grenzner speaks my language, and I love shopping her booth. Owners of shops tend to stock what they love best, and I can always find something (many somethings!) I love at Jodi's. I've shopped online with her for several years, and it's been fun to get to know her in person at this annual event.
It's also a day for lunch out with my hubby, who enjoys this event as much as I do.