Seam 2 B Sewing

An update just for my sanity

2010-01-16T09:45:00.002-05:00

I haven't been able to read blogs or do anything crafty for a year now. After my last post things got really ugly.

However, I have survived and am getting stronger daily. I am finally divorced. I have primary custody of my children. I found work, although it is a minimum wage job at a factory. I am very happy to have found anything. My living situation is scary. The marital home was awarded to me, but it is in foreclosure due to my not being able to pay the mortgage while unemployed. I have no idea what to do about that. I definitely do not make enough to make the payments anyway. My mother still lives with me but is herself unemployed now.

I had to sell my wonderful Designer SE with all the goodies I had for it to finance my divorce. I have a little mechanical machine (a Viking Emma) that does the work for mending and such. I hope to one day have a lovely embroidery machine again. I really miss crafting (and staying home with my kiddos).

The last few months have been an exercise in survival. Learning to work full time again with managing kids and a home. I seem to have no time for anything. However things are getting routine with me and the kids now, so I hope to start crafting again (especially on every other weekend when they are at their dad's).

Sunny

Gosh it's been a loooonnnngggg time....

2009-02-10T06:09:00.002-05:00

Well, it seems that it has been some time since I was able to post last. Holidays are always hectic, but this past season was horrible. My life has changed dramatically. I am now divorcing and going to be a single mom. My hunt for employment has gotten nowhere. I am not sure I will get to blog ever again. I miss my hobbies terribly. I have no happiness in my life at the moment except for my two little ones who are still with me at the moment. I dread this, but I may have to sell my machines to pay for an attorney for the proceedings. I had to move away for several months. I am back home for now with my kids at my house. He has moved out for the time being. I am very depressed and trying to cope with all of this. Our 10 year anniversary was coming up in April. We have been together for almost 12. I am completely lost at the moment. I've given up my sewing room so that my mother could move in with me to help out for the time being. Please if anyone read my blog, pray for me and my children. I am scared out of my mind and not doing well.

Sunny

Some giveaways going on now....

2008-10-15T13:52:00.001-04:00

As I was browsing around blog land today while the baby napped, I have found some more giveaways going on now.

Check out Michelle's! It's her birthday. What a great way to celebrate.

Also, check out Jane's A.R.K. Lovely stuff indeed.

Julie has reached her 100th post. She is giving away a package of "pink." I love it!

Elizabeth is giving away an absolutely stunning quilt! Check it out and sign up to win. I have added a banner in my sidebar to reach her giveaway quickly.

Happy Sewing,

And the winners are.....

2008-10-15T12:43:00.002-04:00

It is time to pick the 3 lucky winners of my "Fall into Fall Quilter's Blog Giveaway!"

I put all 206 names (WOW that still knocks me off my seat!) into a hat and randomly pulled 3 names:

For prize #1: terry of Terry's Treasures!

For prize #2: tisme (Tammy) of tismetries!

For prize#3: sue of Quilting Chatter!

Congratulations ladies! Please send me your snail mail addy so I can get your goodies off to you.

Thank you everyone who left a comment. I appreciate all the kind words about my blog and my crafts. I am sorry that I was unable to answer everyone back personally. It has been a very hectic couple of weeks.

I have found myself babysitting for a coworker's of my husband's. Their care giver quit, and they needed someone right away. I have been in that situation before when my oldest was young, so I could not say no. She is a precious little darling. It is actually helping to cheer me up. I don't feel so useless now. My babies are growing up and do not need mommy so much anymore.

I plan to participate in Debi's (Quilting With Debi) Whirl Into Winter Quilt Blog Giveaway coming in January.

Happy Sewing,

Fall into Fall Giveaway!

2008-09-30T20:13:00.006-04:00

ETA: The winners are Terry, Tammy and Sue.

I am happy to be participating in Fall into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway being hosted by Debi from Quilting With Debi.

This is my very first giveaway. I am *sew* excited. So far there are 40 participants. Be sure to hop over and check out everyone's giveaways. Just click on the scarecrow in my sidebar to navigate there. By the way, Debi is giving away a prize to those who participate in this.

I could not decide what to giveaway, so I am having 3 prizes! All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post between now and October 14th. I will draw 3 names on the 15th. It is not necessary to have your own blog, but I must have your email address in the comments in order to notify the winners.

So without further ado, the goodies:

First up is the pocketbook I made with coordinating checkbook cover, zippered coin pouch, key ring and a nifty little notion from That Patchwork Place® called "Ruby Beholder."

Next up is an electric potpourri burner with ivy leaves, a grape smelling tart from Yankee Candle called Shiraz, and almost full yard of beautiful fabric with gold ivy leaves all over from Marcus Brothers. There is only a small rectangle cut out of the fabric as it was for a challenge in the quilt guild I use to belong too. The light is new, I did however take it out of the box and test it (and photographed it the other day).

Finally is a book of plastic templates for hand piecing called Best-Loved Quilt Patterns from Oxmoor House, a little fall fabric basket that I just finished, 4 fat quarters from an old collection called Morning Glory by Moda and a cute little composition book for your pocketbook. There are no instructions to the templates. My house flooded a few years back and the companion book that held all the color photos and instructions was totally ruined. I have decided I am not going to hand piece, so I cannot use these. The fat quarters are pre-washed as they are from my stash.

**Please forgive the dark photo quality. It has been overcast and gray here for days. Also, when I finished the little fabric basket it was already getting dark.

Good luck everyone and have fun!

Happy Sewing,

ETA: Please stop by Zana's Ninis. Her blog is very new, and she is participating in this "Fall into Fall" giveaway.

Also check out Quliter Going Bananas 100th post giveaway. Her prize is a mystery!

Hop over to Drucilla's Stitches for her Fall into Fall Giveaway.

Update (very pic heavy)

2008-09-27T12:41:00.001-04:00

So I am still very down in the dumps. Other things keep happening to me that have just knocked me lower and lower. I am trying very hard to not fall into depression again. Last major episode had me away from my love of my crafting for almost 3 years. I am attempting to keep blogging to help hold my head up.

I found some pictures that I had meant to post about. Apparently, I forgot about posting. So, I am going to do an update on projects, share the stuff I have done (even if it was a little while back) and give a sneak peak at some of the stuff I am going to put in my giveaway.

First up is some totes I made a few months ago before I started blogging. I had purchased 2 kits from a local sewing machine shop. The pattern was called "Totally Toteable Totes" by a local designer. I seem to have misplaced the pattern, so the name may be a little off. I have had these kits for many, many years. The kits came with the pre-quilted fabric and the coordinating prints. The pattern just intimidated me a bit.

Well, I decided to just go for it. It was simple, but I did change the construction some after making the black tote. I am disappointed in the first one and wish I had not used that fabric first. The blue and yellow one is made *sew* much better. I also added a little loop inside the second one to hook my keys to. It already had the potholder like pocket and covered button and loop closure. There is also plastic canvas in a sleeve at the bottom for stability. It can be removed for washing. The blue one is really not my style, but it reminded me of those Vera Bradley bags. She has one now that is going for $46 and another for $78!

I wanted the black one more. It is okay. I just did not like the way it was put together following the pattern exactly. I may be giving away the blue and yellow, or I may use it for my library bag. I have not made up my mind yet. I still need to make my kiddos a library bag.

Next are just some utilitarian sewing. I was just *sew* happy to have these UFO's done! They were in my pile for at least 4 years!Surprisingly they still fit my daughter! All that was needed was elastic on all of the knickers.

The tank is from a camisole pattern and just whipped up at the same time from some scrap fabric given to me by a friend who moved out of state. I wanted to use my new coverstitch binder I purchased off eBay.

I also made my second pocketbook I posted about earlier. I made the handles a little longer this time. I think it turned out really cute. I may be giving this away too. Still not completely sure. I want to make coordinating accessories first though.

I also won another giveaway! I had forgotten I entered this one. It is from Helen from her blog Quilts & ATCs. If you have not been there, cruise over there now. She is in the UK and does wonderful work.

I also went shopping sometime last week or the week before. Here are some of the goodies I picked up. Not all the fat quarters are new. I was playing with the colors and deciding that I want to might try the quilt in the magazine I got the pocketbook pattern from. I will not be using the top row of fabrics in the quilt. The rust, green and tan colors go well in my master bedroom. I also went to my local Yankee Candle store (my favorite candle and fragrance shop in the world) and got some more tarts. I decided to try out the oil, so of course I needed a couple of new burners! I will not get to do this much anymore. This was spent out of my one and only paycheck I received. : (

I am also playing around with these fat quarters:

I am calling it Salsa! (These prove my love affair with BRIGHT fabrics! LOL) I am not sure if it will be bag or a placemat for my doggie's food and water station. Poor little fellow needs something as he slips on my laminate floors when he is trying to eat. It is incredibly funny to watch, but I am starting to feel bad for him.

I need to make a jacket for my littlest boy as he lost his last year, and I am sure he has grown a bit. Just need to find a pattern, a zipper and pick up some fleece.

As for my daughter's quilt, I was playing with ideas for quilt designs and noticed that the top borders are really wonky. Most of it I can deal with, but that top portion is just way too bad even for me. Can you see it? Looks like I need to frog stitch and try to correct it some. One day this quilt will be done and on her bed!

Now, I have decided to participate in the big fall giveaway I posted about a couple of days ago. This is my very first giveaway! I hope it goes well. I may have more than one prize. Here are some of the things I know I am giving away so far:

I am still trying to decide on what else I will include. I also want to make those little fabric baskets I keep seeing everyone make. If I get one done soon, I may include it too!

Of course I have been trying to catch up on housework and yard work too. I am close to being done with that...for a day or two at least. VBG

I have lots of things I would really like to get made. I want to redecorate my guest bathroom using 1930's reproduction fabrics. I want to sand and repaint my coffee table and end tables in the formal living room. I want to make a table runner for fall, lots of potholders, a Halloween wall hanging and *sew* much more. I am thinking about crocheting some new doilies or a blanket. I want to get a counted cross-stitch started. My, my, my. I do believe I have crafter's ADD. I seem to get bored easily and move on to something else, even before I finish what I was already working on. I may need some professional help!

Well, until next time...

Happy Sewing,

A new blog and giveaway

2008-09-24T09:00:00.004-04:00

So check out Quilt and Quilt Things; it is a brand new blog. She is having a giveaway to kick things off.

I have also decided to join in on Fall into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway. I have not yet decided if I am making something or just giving away some great quilty stuff. I will decide by the 1st of October. The drawing will be on the 15th. I will announce what I will giveaway and what you must do to be entered. Check it out and join if you'd like. It seems like it will be fun.

Until later,

ETA: Come on all you kind, giving quilters out there, think about joining in on the Fall into Fall Quilters Blog Giveaway. Debi has now added a prize to the participants! Just click on the scarecrow to sign up:

Just Us Quilters Blog...where did it go??

2008-09-19T12:32:00.003-04:00

Do any of you quilters out there know what happened to that blog? I noticed today that my button for Just Us Quilters is broken. The picture is gone and the blog is too. I found *sew* many quilt blogs there and had not long ago added my little blog.

Happy Sewing,

ETA: She is back up; go to Just Us Quilters and re-sign up!

A new giveaway found, project picture and a good mail day!

2008-09-16T12:14:00.001-04:00

Okay, first off, I want to thank all the wonderful comments my few readers have left. Thank you for making me feel *sew* much better. I am still crying as I type this, but I know this will pass as it always does. I really wanted to work at that company.

As my dearest friend always tells me, when God closes one door, he surely leaves another one open, you just need to find it. Well I found a very tiny doggie door. I am going to see what it will take to open my own quilt store. It will be online only for many years if at all. I have a sweet, gracious sewing buddy, who has been amazing the past year as a true friend, that is very interested in owning and operating an online fabric store also. She is willing to partner up with me to see if we can make this dream we share a reality. I sure hope I can figure it all out as she will be backing this endeavor financially to start. Otherwise, it would still be only a dream. Anyone with any information about how to go about this, please give me a hint. <wink>

Since I have lots of time on my hands yet again, I have been catching up on my blog reading. I have missed several giveaways! However, I did find one this morning that you can still enter. Hop on over to My Yellow Farmhouse and leave a comment. Her blog is pure, unadulterated eye candy!

I did whip up a pocketbook like that I mentioned in a previous post. However, I used some home dec fabric for the first one. I truly love this little bag. Hopefully, if I can keep my mindset

positive, I will get the other one done today. I plan to make matching accessories using some great tutorials I found online. These will be made to match the home dec fabric pocketbook as I purchased the small remnant that was left after I had my yardage cut.

In other happy news, I got mail!! LOL My prize I won from Linda over at Living4Quilting arrived yesterday afternoon! Again, thank you *sew* much Linda. It really helped me out of a very, very low mood.

Happy Sewing,

Bad news

2008-09-15T12:11:00.002-04:00

Well, I worked for a week, but had to resign due to personal reasons. It hurts really bad. I love working there, as I have worked for that company in the past seasonally.

Turns out that I will have to be a stay at home mom for the rest of my life. I am thankful that I have a wonderful hubby. I pray that nothing ever happens to him or his job.

I may not write anymore. I am very distraught and despressed at the moment.

Sunny

What I am working on

2008-09-14T15:32:00.001-04:00

Well, I have started my new job. I love it, but my feet are definitely not use to standing all day long. The kids and hubby are still adjusting to the new schedule as is my poor old body!

The best part of this job is helping the customers with their projects and, of course, talking crafting and sewing all day long. A customer came in with a darling little pocketbook that she made. I simply had to make one too. So I picked up the magazine and some fabric to give it a go. She said it was quick, easy and pain-free. It is definitely sounded like my kind of project indeed.

Here are the fabrics I picked. Everything is cut and ready to sew up. I'm hoping to have it done tonight.

I have been neglecting housework all week due to the new job. I am trying to get that under control so that I can play in my sewing room.

I found the photos of another quick project I made a couple of weeks ago for my fur baby.

I used McCall's 3472 in the smallest size.

I recycled an old sheet for the pillow insert, and old pillows for the stuffing. My dog's name is Chili Pepper, so naturally I found some fat quarters with chili pepper prints. My plan was to make 2 covers, but so far only one is complete.

The first one was made entirely wrong. I do not know if I was still asleep or ill that day, but I messed it up completely. I have to re-cut all the side pieces.

So far that is all I have accomplished in the crafting/sewing/quilting department. If my schedule stays as it is right now, I will have Friday, Saturday and Sundays off. Also, I have not been scheduled to close either. I have my fingers crossed that it stays this way as it is ideal for me.

Happy Sewing,

Oh my goodness...I won, I won, I won!!

2008-09-08T07:45:00.004-04:00

I have never won anything ever in my life. I start this morning at the new job. I am *sew* behind on everything from housework to reading my favorite blogs. I just happened to stop and check my email just now. Lo and behold, I have won a giveaway! Woo hoo!

Linda, over at Living4Quilting, picked me as one of her winners for her 100th post giveaway. I am floored really and *sew* excited to get my goodies. Thank you Linda!

Off to get ready for my first full day! YAY!

Oh, and for those commenters talking about the paycheck issue, well, I already know I will not really make any money. I have worked for this company seasonally before and, unfortunately, always spent all and more before payday. LOL!

Happy Sewing,

Wardrobe Refashion

2008-09-06T12:37:00.002-04:00

I have signed up to Wardrobe Refashion. I have done this sort of thing on and off for many years. I am really starting to look at all my clothes in my closet differently now. I hope that by pledging for 6 months, I will remember to take before and after photos to share.

So here is my Pledge:

I, Sunny, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

Signed,

Good News...and bad news...

2008-09-01T10:57:00.002-04:00

I finally got a part time job outside of the home. I am *sew* happy! This will give me something to do and a little extra cash to spend on my hobbies. Plus, I am working at a fabric and craft store, so I will get a discount on purchases. I also get to talk about crafting and sewing all day long. Just wonderful!

Bad news is that I will not have as much time to play in my sewing room. I have not even had a chance to do more than iron the backing fabric for the butterfly quilt.

This holiday weekend has been packed with activities with the family and starting this new job. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe labor day.

Happy Sewing,

Yo-yo's

2008-08-23T13:36:00.008-04:00

Just a short post for now. Life sure gets in the way of my hobbies sometimes! LOL

I purchased the yo-yo makers made by Clover because I have been unsuccessful making them the old fashioned way. I have been wanting to try these things. I finally got around to doing a couple. I am not so sure that they are any better then the ones I made without them. Albeit they are more uniform, but to me the stitches are just too big for the way I want them. Here's a comparison of both types:

I used the same sized circle for these. The one on the left is with the maker and the right is without. They are a little hard to see. I think that for embellisments I will use the makers. As for the quilt I dream of making, I am going to keep practicing.

This should be very productive day as my hubby has to work tonight, and it is dreary, so no plans to leave the house.

Happy Sewing,

A ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.....

2008-08-19T16:38:00.001-04:00

Having all my fabric up on my old/new shelves in my sewing room closet makes such a difference in being more productive. I apparently purchased this beautiful fabric specifically for backing of my quilts. I loved the soft hand and soft print. No wonder I purchased over 10 yards of it.

Good thinking on my part! LOL

Now I can get this quilt done for my daughter's room.

(The background fabric says P.S. I love you! I plan to put seed beeds or tiny buttons for the eyes.)

Happy Sewing,

Yucky day, yucky fabric

2008-08-19T15:05:00.003-04:00

Well Fay has not really done anything here but make it gray and dreary. Hardly any rain so far. Slight wind finally.

So I have been re-ironing the muslin backing I purchased to back my butterfly quilt. I am really not liking the hand of this stuff. I cannot use it. My daughter has a textile...hmmm, aversion or something. I am going to need some nice quilt store stuff. I will have to wait as funds will have to be saved. One day she will have it.

Sew onward to someother WIP or UFO or new project.

Happy Sewing!

Sunny

My Big Board Pics

2008-08-19T13:45:00.001-04:00

First up is the picture of me just getting started. I used 1/2 inch plywood (the nice sanded type) and added a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. I then wrapped that with 100% cotton batting (Warm and White), 2 layers. I am thinking now that I might want more padding. The plywood was more expensive then the regular type because I was not paying attention when I picked it up. Regular, cheap plywood is fine. Also, the foil may not be necessary, but I wasn't sure. My plywood was supposed to measure 30" x 60" but was a little more in both length and width. Which was strange since I watched the woman measure accurately. She may not have cut as accurately though (she was new at Home Depot).

I then wrapped bleached muslin (the cheap kind-no photo) and the silver ironing board fabric. If I recall correctly, I used 2 yards of each fabric because of the widths they came in. I stapled around the edges like crazy. I think I get carried away with the staples on any project like this! I was undecided about what fabric I wanted to use, thus I purchased the silver stuff and the muslin. I then decided to put both on so that when the silver stuff needs to go, I still have something over the batting. I also chose Warm and White batting and bleached muslin because I tend to burn the seeds in the natural types and stain my fabric.

I decided for now to just screw it to my old ironing board. I added some handles for easy moving by myself. The handles, screws and ironing board base were all re-purposed stuff I had on hand. The wood, foil, fabrics and batting were all new. The handles I cut off a free bag. I really despise those particular bags as they do not feel like real fabric. They tear way too easily.

Another view of the back, leaning against my fabric closet: (You should be able to click on the pictures for the larger version to see any details that may be of interest. *wink*) I think I am going to add one more larger handle to the opposite side for ease in standing this thing up. I open the legs while it is like leaning because I cannot do it the normal way the old ironing board works. However, I cannot seem to stand it up on my own very well. Another handle should fix that though. It is not really that heavy. The old metal stand I am using is the heaviest part, lol!

Here it is set up as I will normally keep it in my tiny sewing room. Please excuse the mess and the nasty carpet. This is the only room with the original carpet still in it. I have yet to shampoo in here during my deep house cleaning the past week or so.

I love how at the top height it snugs up perfectly against my extra cutting table by the window. This allows me to keep my irons and ironing supplies off the board.

Here is the board in use. Of course, this is not a large piece of fabric. I wanted the set up out here to be visible.

When I want to iron my large pieces of fabric and quilt tops, it will be set up here in the formal dining room. This room is still mostly empty as my large dining table is in the small breakfast nook right now. I like it this way at this point because this empty floor space is where I cut and pin patterns that are oversized like home dec, and where I layer and baste my quilts. It use to be my sewing room, thus the fancy design wall you see in the background. My new sewing room, oldest son's old room, is unfortunately just too small for a design wall.

I must say again that I am loving this board. I realized that I do still need a regular ironing board. I wanted to be able to remove the big board and still use my ironing board, but for now I purchased a small table top one for only $7.88 (guess where at that price, lol, the 88 cents is a giveaway). That will work fine for now. Eventually I want a really nice ironing board for garment construction and regular clothes ironing. I also no longer care for ones with T style legs. I'd much rather have the type with 4 legs as they are more stable to me. I have had this ironing board for, most likely, going on 17 years.

I also did not do cleats or anything on the bottom of the board to hold it on my old ironing board. This way, I can take it off, and it fits perfectly on my main cutting table in my sewing room. Here's a picture of that cutting table without the board on top as I forgot to photograph it while it was on there before screwing it down. Duh. Anyway, this table is old and broken so I do not fold it up and move it around anymore. I like that I can store stuff under it unlike the newer one from JoAnn's. One day when I make curtains and other stuff for my sewing room, I will make a skirt to hide this stuff and protect it from sunlight.

Well, that's my DIY board. As I said I love it. I am re-ironing the backing for my daughter's butterfly quilt now. One of the reasons I finally made this board was that backing. It was a nightmare ironing and was still very wrinkled using my old ironing board. The backing is 90 inch wide bleached muslin.

Next post, I will be posting some photos of a few finished projects that I have been working on. Until then....

Happy Sewing,

Giveaway!

2008-08-19T11:15:00.007-04:00

I am so sorry most of my posts have been giveaways lately. I cannot seem to pass them up. They are wonderful for discovering new blogs and inspiration. Go check out Calamity Jane's Cottage for this adorable bag giveaway! Just too whimsical.

ETA: Also, go to Lurline's Place for her 100th post celebration. She is giving away a beautiful bag.

Check out the blog of Designer Heather Mulder Peterson. She is giving away a pattern. If you comment, mention that that Sunny sent you there, and we will both get a copy! How cool is that! I am always finding these giveaways from anotehr blogger and sometimes mentioned who I got the information from. This is sweet.

AND....browse Debi's blog. 200 posts!

Happy Sewing,

My cruddy day...long boring post...gotta get it out!

2008-08-18T23:06:00.003-04:00

Ok, today was the first day of school. It was just a crazy, horrible day. The kiddos and I were running just a few minutes behind, so we missed the school bus. Ok, no prob, grab the keys, lets go. Oh no, I left my engagement diamond solitaire with my anniversary diamond surround wedding band on the nightstand in my little boy's room (I took it off to lotion him up after his shower this morning because he has really dry skin and eczema). I tell young man to grab it for me so we can go. I am outside when the other mommas (and dads) are coming back from the bus stop. Of course we chat for a bit. Then, lo and behold, the bus comes back by the front of my house and stops for me. I literally throw the younguns on and am saved that traffic nightmare. Whew!

I continue to chat with my neighbors. My sewing friend decides to come inside to check out my closet I have been stuffing and for some chatty time. All of a sudden I realize I do not have my wedding rings on! Oh no, little man did not give them to me. He sure enough went back in the house to get them. My friend remembers me telling him to go back in and get it. She also remembers he did not give it to me.

I start to panic. It has been at least 20 to 30 minutes since this has happened. I jump in the car, drive to the school and get there just as classes are starting. I rush to his class, he doesn't have it. He gave it to me! No honey you didn't. Where is it? I don't know. I gave it to you. No baby, what did you do after you went inside to get mommy's rings? He cannot remember. I had already checked EVERYWHERE I had been that morning to be sure he had retrieved them as I had instructed. My heart is racing and I am getting upset. He keeps changing his story because he is getting upset, plus he just doesn't remember exactly (he is only 6 and entering 1st grade). I checked all his pockets and backpack. Nothing.

Ok, I run to my daughter's class. Ask her if she knows. She knows nothing about the rings at all. Okay. I am in tears. He must have dropped it on the school bus. Not good. The bus was already off to make the other rounds for the other schools and older kids. I run to the office and ask them what could be done to catch the bus driver. Nothing really, call this number. Yeah, right! It's the first day of school all over here. Getting nowhere!

Run back home, tear the house apart. Go outside and look all over the ground and even the street where the bus stopped. Nada. Then I cry, scream, cry, call husband, cry more. I called my buddy to come back over so at least we can sit and talk sewing. Maybe that will make me feel better. She is coming up the driveway along the grass on my pavers I installed.....AND THANK GOD! she is scanning the ground too and finds it in my grass! Oh my blue heavens. Thank the Lord! What a relief. Of course more crying...tears of joy!

Thought that was the worst start ever of a day, but it only got worse. Little man got sick and the school called around noon. I had to pick him up. He threw up at P.E. Oh no. When I get there, I finally figure out that he fell in P.E., scrapped his knees and then started to bleed ever so minutely. Well, he throws up when he sees himself bleed! No matter how small. I don't know why. No one else in my family has ever done that. Well we went home and decided to get my errands finished.

I take back purchases to stores from our school prep shopping spree. That itself was a nightmare. I really hate returning things, but it had to be done. Then I wanted to do some grocery shopping and get some more stuff to prepare for the storm Fay. However, lines were so long, that I had to leave without my purchases to rush home as my daughter would be arriving home on the school bus. I had to be home. Well, the buses were 30-45 minutes behind. Goodness. My friend, my angel, said she would wait for my little girl so I could go back and get my groceries. Awesome.

Go grocery shopping. Stop at several stores for bottled water (hurricane prep) and cannot find any. Happens all the time when there is a storm a coming! Oh well, I will figure something out. I run back home and my dear friend is just leaving to take my daughter to her house because I was taking so long. So sorry.

I get a call from the school system automated thing that school is canceled for tomorrow. Terrific. And here I was really looking forward to school starting today so I could get so much done and play in my sewing room and relax and ... (you get the picture). Well today was most certainly not what I had expected.

So tomorrow, I am sleeping in, then doing nothing but watch cartoons with the kids. I hopefully will get my post done with my pictures of my DIY "Big Board" up. I have been using it and absolutely love it. I don't know why I waited so many years to make one. Ironing my large yardage (and even smaller ones) have been super quick and pain free now! Hallelujah!

Until then....

Happy Sewing,

Sunny (too burnt out to do anything fancy in this rant of a post...good night all)

Another giveaway...an adorable purse!

2008-08-17T13:57:00.001-04:00

Check out Wendy's blog, The Corvidarium, and enter to win the cute little purse.

Hopefully later today I will actually get to do a real post with pictures of my big board. I have to say I LOVE THIS BOARD!

Until then...

Happy Sewing,

Last minute giveaway!

2008-08-17T11:44:00.005-04:00

There may not be time, but I just found this giveaway and blog. Even if you cannot enter, browse her blog. It's amazing!

Happy Sewing,

Another....

2008-08-12T19:38:00.002-04:00

I found another giveaway...go check out Joanna's blog.

I just got back from getting all the required materials for my "big board." Now to get it all put together so I can iron the backing muslin for my daughter's butterfly quilt! Yay!

DIY "Big Board" and a couple more giveaways!

2008-08-12T17:16:00.003-04:00

I am on a quest to make a big board for ironing completed tops, backing and large pieces of fabric. I went to Home Depot to buy a sheet of 1/2" plywood (sanded, but not necessary), and have it cut. I wanted a piece 30" x 60" because I want my "big board" to be a little bigger than the original one sold in quilt shops.

Now I am off to JoAnn's to purchase batting and muslin to staple on. I plan to just screw this into my old ironing board for now. I am wrapping the plywood with heavy duty aluminum foil for protection. I don't know if that is necessary, but I don't want to take a chance.

I also saw a couple more giveaways for patterns. Check out Melly and Me and Rosalie Quinlan blogs for details.

Happy Sewing,

Weekend update and a few giveaways.

2008-08-11T09:47:00.002-04:00

Catching up on my blog reading this morning has produced a few more giveaways:

Jen at Crafty Giveaways (free fabric and quilt blocks)
Inger Lise at Lises Hobbyblogg (100 posts in 8 months!)
Candace at Wraggedypatches (100 posts also)
Cheryl at Polka Dots & Rick Rack (1 yr blogiversary)
Marit at Marits hobbyblogg (100 posts in about 6 months!)

I have been very busy cleaning the house. I only have carpets to shampoo in 4 rooms and an area rug. I was able to get the shelves up in my sewing room. I emptied all the Rubbermaid tubs that held my fabric stash. I am going to have to refold and organize it all a little better. Most of my stash is children's knits. I make T-shirts for my youngest two. The doors need to go back on the closet, and I need to finish putting the room back together.

As for projects, I have not been able to baste my butterfly quilt yet. I still need to make more clothes for the kids. I did make a pet pillow for my dog. I need to make 3 covers for it still.

Happy Sewing,

Good mail day!

2008-08-06T15:21:00.003-04:00

Well, with today's economy and my husband being in sales, I have restrained from purchasing any new fabric, gadgets, gizmos and more. I only purchased exactly what I needed to make a gift or to finish something needed.

I have really been wanting to try those Clover Yo-yo Makers. While checking prices again online, I found Quilting-Warehouse.com. The have all the little notions I need for the best price I have found. Plus shipping is a set price no matter how much you order. I had a few dollors extra this payday so I got these goodies:

I cannot wait to try these out. I have a bunch of cut fabric circles already bought years ago to try yo-yo making, but did not do so well! I really wanted to try the circle cutter. But even at Quilting-Warehouse.com, it was a tad high for my budget. Besides I just chipped my last rotary blade and need to buy a new one. Those things are expensive.

Back to chores so I can play soon.

Happy Sewing,

Yay for me....I fixed it.

2008-08-05T21:54:00.006-04:00

I fixed my post from the August 4th. My pictures were not showing up. I am very bad at all of thes, but learing by making mistakes. I really messed them up. Now they all work and are clickable for more detailed viewing if so desired.

I am *sew* glad that is done! Pictures are what make blogs work! LOL

Happy Sewing,

Now to figure out how to make the signature smaller! LOL

**ETA - I think I got a nice sized signature now. My goodness. I really need to be cleaning again.

A no sewing day.

2008-08-05T21:20:00.004-04:00

I hate chores. I especially hate when I must dust from ceiling to floor. It takes all day to do one room. I physically hurt after that because I finish with cleaning my laminate floors.

On a positive note, my floor in the formal rooms is now very clean. I can sandwich and baste my daughter's butterfly top for quilting!

I am still working my way through reorganizing my sewing room too. My shelves are still not up. That's my man...gotta love him.

Til later,

Happy Sewing

Some Completed Projects....

2008-08-04T09:30:00.002-04:00

and more UFO's found.

This is my oldest UFO! It is over 8 years old. It was a beginning quilting class. The class ended in April of 2000. It is all hand pieced. The two blocks at the corners of the bottom are already hand quilted. The quilt is made following the lap quilting method from Georgia Bonesteel. Since pulling this out, I have cut more blocks. I decided to work on this every evening while watching TV. Shown are 25 out of the 42 blocks I am making. I decided to make this a king size!

I have to say that this is the ugliest quilt I have ever seen. I mean my piecing is fine and the blocks are good, but the colors are terrible. I did not know one thing about how to choose fabrics for a quilt when I picked them. I am going to finish this one day. I will use it on my bed and proudly! I decided to finish hand piecing and hand quilting it so I can say I did it all by hand.

I will never hand piece again, except for when it is necessary (like yo-yo's).

Now for some completed things!

This is a new outfit for my 6 year old. The shorts are Simplicity 9080 and the tank is Kwik Sew 2411. I think they are both OOP. The KS 2411 is actually for a girls camisole and panties, but it worked great for this "wife beater" as the rednecks in my family call it.

I have made the shorts 4 different times now and still am not good at inserting a fly. The pattern uses velcro for the fly instead of a zipper. It worked great last year when my little one entered kindergarten. This is the first garment I have made that I used embroidery to embellish. I really need to do this more often. I used a nice twill for the shorts. I have not washed out the markings yet in these photos. The only change in the pattern I made was to add a snap at the top and not put velcro for the small pocket on the front.

The tank is made of a nice thermal knit. I bound the edges with a rib knit using my new binder attachment I purchased off eBay for my coverstitch machine. I really want to get a few more sizes now. I could not get a photo of the tank because it was really rainy yesterday, and white is hard to see when I use my flash.

Next are some fleece blankets I made using my EdgeryDoo tool to crochet around the edges. The camo is for my youngest son and the John Deere was a gift for a friend's son's birthday. The colors may be off some. I really need a new camera.

These are really quick and fun to do. I do not follow a pattern. I just do a couple of rounds in whatever stitch I like, usually a dc. Nothing fancy since these were for boys.

Finally, my finished cross stitched piece, all blocked and ready for framing. I love Winnie-the-Pooh.

Happy Stitching,

Blogging Frustration

2008-08-03T22:17:00.002-04:00

I just spent an hour writing a new post with lots of photos and details. I do not know what happened. I also think that I messed up all the photos I had on here in my older posts. Is there an easier way to do this???

I will try to fix this tomorrow. I need to just walk away.

Total Surprise!

2008-08-03T16:31:00.007-04:00

Hello to my 3 readers! LOL

I was just taken by total surprise by Lola of ..and Sew On. She nominated everyone in her blog list for a Blog Award!

Thank you *sew* much for including me. I am honored.

Now, the rules for receiving this award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog. Ok, done.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you. Have done, see above.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. Now this is the hardest for me. I have been reading blogs for quite some time now. I keep finding great ones more and more. I cannot take the easy way and say all in my list, because at the moment I have way too many (currently at 87 subscriptions).

But here I go:

Dorothy from Dorothy Baker Designs.
Karen from Log Cabin Quilter.
AJ from AJ's Antics.
Cindy from Sew Blessed. (The things she makes are exquisite!)
Kristy from lower your presser foot. (I absolutely love the style of clothes she makes.)
Barbara from Just a little zizzy.
Peggy from Peggy Quilts.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours. Also done. They are in my list, and I have linked them above.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs. Alrighty then. I hope those I picked do not mind. If so, that's okay. I apologize.

Happy Sewing y'all!

Problems with Internet Explorer

2008-08-02T00:28:00.003-04:00

I cannot seem to "look" at many blogs tonight. This has been happening all day. It is getting worse. I keep getting an error "Internet Explorer cannot open the site http:// (whatever blog it is). Operation aborted."

This is maddening. I am able to go to my dashboard to post, but cannot even view my own blog!

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

**edited to add: Found out the problem. Sitemeter! Apparently they put some new code into their system last night, and now every blog that uses this meter gets that annoying error. Seems to only affect those who use IE 7 or 6. I located a work around for it here.

There is more about it, but I tried this. It worked for my blog. I can see it now in my IE 7 browser. Some of the ones that I could not see last night are now viewable.

More giveaways and what I've been doing...

2008-07-31T12:09:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I found some more giveaways. To make it easy on me I am just going to list them:

Lila Tueller Designs
Purple and Paisley
Quality Threads

Each one is a new to me blog. Be sure to read carefully and follow each one's directions. I am having fun entering these contests. I will not win (I never do), but I am finding some really great blogs to read.

I have been working diligently on UFO's and WIP's and all that mending, etc. I need to get as much done and out of my sewing/hobby room. I have moved all my stuff to one of the bedrooms from my formal living/dining room. The bedrooms in my house are very, very small. It just is not all fitting. I will be posting some pictures soon of some of the finishes. I will also be posting some more unfinished things I have uncovered.

I am also working on some basic clothing items for my youngest two kiddos. School starts here on August 18th, and they need new clothes. I am making as much as I can and buying what I cannot.

Bye for now.

Happy sewing!

One more!

2008-07-30T17:45:00.003-04:00

I found another giveaway today it is over at May's blog. Go on over and take a look see.

Happy Sewing!

Guess what! Another giveaway!

2008-07-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

Now, this one I found this morning. It really interested me, not because I want to win, but because to enter you must admit to how many UFO's you have! Since I am working on organizing my sewing room and have already posted about some of my UFO's, I thought this was perfect.

Go to Dorothy's blog and check it out. She is giving away a set of quilt patterns.

Happy Sewing,

Again with the giveaways!

2008-07-23T12:04:00.003-04:00

I have been finding all sorts of new quilting blogs in the past couple of days! Oh the inspiration! I ran into another little giveaway. Go to Carolyn's blog and answer her question about inspiration. It is the July 22nd entry. She will give the winner 4 fat quarters. She has many hobbies just like me. Go take a peek.

**Edited to add: Yet another giveaway... I have just been cruising around blogland looking at quilting blogs because I am in so much pain today. So anywho...another giveaway over here at Debbie's, check out her blog and enter to win!

Happy Sewing!

Another giveaway on another blog!

2008-07-22T12:35:00.010-04:00

Ok, I really love to read other people's blogs. I find so many inspiring things that way. I keep finding giveaways. So today I stumbled on this "Little Beauty of a giveaway!". So go and head over there. Browse a bit like I did, and enter to win this cute apron.

Happy Sewing!

UFO's, WIP's and To-Do's

2008-07-17T16:49:00.010-04:00

I have been very busy trying to get shelves up in the closet in my sewing room so that I can put my fabric out. I have it all in Rubbermaid tubs right now. I really hate that system. So, I want it all out where I can see it. During this process, I have unearthed some of my UFO's (unfinished objects), WIP's (works in progress) and my "to-do" projects. I thought that I would add some photos of some of what I found. (I am not good with adding pics yet, but here I go anyway:)

This first one needs the top three rows taken off so that I can reseam the blocks to each other. I had to do that to the last 4 rows also. This was a kit from Fons and Porter's. It was a row of the month quilt. They provided everything except the batting. I was really new to quilting and did okay. However, when I put the rows together, they were all different sizes. I love this quilt. The fabrics are shirtings and have an retro look to them. Once I fix the rows, I will put on the borders. It will then be ready to quilt! (I think you can click on the pic to enlarge.)

This one is actually a set of two identical tops. The blocks were "inherited" when my husband's cousin's wife decided she really did not like quilting. She had made tons of blocks and had already put together a lap size quilt that was pieced double sided. I got the left over blocks. The other quilt needs to have the blocks taken apart as I did a really bad job putting them into the top. One day I may do that. I have more fabric to add borders too.

This one is from this book. I did this one when I took an Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day class at a local sewing machine shop. I put the top together and was deciding on borders when I changed my mind and wanted a queen size quilt. So I did purchase more fabric to enlarge this but never got any further. I now own a king size bed, and I had really wanted this for my master bedroom. Now I do not know what I will do with it. I really love the colors.

This very plain one is made of solid fabrics. I was trying out the triangles on a role to get my points sharper. I absolutely love how precise it all was. I do not know what to do with it now. Should I just sandwich it and do some hand quilting (as it will really show up well on solid fabrics)? Should I put on borders and what kind? I am lost with this one for now, but I really love this particular pattern, the friendship star.

This top is what I am working on now. It is my first scrappy quilt and my first 2 color quilt. I absolutely love blue! Can you tell? LOL I need to make some more snowball blocks. I decided I want this for my son's bed. He has an extra long twin, so I need to make 5 more rows to be long enough. I do not think I will put borders on this. This was originally suppose to be done in a class offered by the quilt guild I use to belong too. However, I did not get to attend. The idea was to cut a certain number of blue fabrics. Then trade a bad with everyone that attended so that you really had a good mix of fabrics. Since I could not go, I have been collecting and cutting blue fabrics to add to this over the years.

Well, that is all I have for now. I will be adding more pics and posts as I go through and get all my stuff organized.

Happy Sewing!

Quilt Giveaway!

2008-07-17T11:46:00.003-04:00

Ok, I was looking at my favorite blogs and found this Quilt Giveaway.

I know I do not really have any readers yet, but I wanted to get as many entries as I could. Go there and read all about it.

Happy Sewing,

Sunny

A photo of my skirt

2008-07-14T16:35:00.003-04:00

I finally was able to get a photo of the skirt I made that I posted about last month. I seriously need a new camera! I cleaned that mirror too. Taking self photos is not at all easy.

Anyway, the fabric is pale but cute. I love this skirt. I have worn it almost 2 times a week since making it. I really need to make some more.

What I've been doing...

2008-06-30T00:37:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks, I have been extremely ill. I have been wrestling with a cold/flu like illness, mostly involving my respiratory system. Since I was confined to my bed for more than a week, I decided to work on projects that required hand work.

I finished stitching the binding down on this lap quilt. It is my first flannel quilt. I love, love, love it! It is so warm and snuggle-ly. This is one of my UFO's (unfinished objects) done! I am so happy. It has only taken, um, about 5 or 6 years. LOL! I quilt in spurts and have many in different stages of completion or creation.

The colors are a little off because it was very overcast here today. It has a Christmas theme with penguins.

This particular quilt was a first of many things for me. It was a kit that was inherited from cousin-in-law who did not take to quilting as I did. It represents my first flannel pieced quilt, my first non-prewashed quilt, my first free-motion quilting, my first on point setting and my first bias binding! I love the bias binding, but can tell I hate using flannel to do the type of binding I prefer. My corners are not sharp at all. I still need to wash this to get the wonderful wrinkly look quilts have.

Before I got very sick, I was working on this quilt top. I designed this one for my daughter's room. The tye-dye butterfly border print was my inspiration. I used it along with the lavender solid as the valance for her window. We painted her room a few years ago a bright pink with white border around the middle. Her and I then stamped butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies and flowers in the white stripe, pulling colors from the border fabric. I also made coordinating pillows and pillowcases too. All her furniture is painted white. I also still need to make her bean bag out of white fuzzy fleece. I would also like to purchase some new sheet sets.

Please excuse the wrinkled mess, but I am machine embroidering the antennae for each butterfly. This is the first quilt I have designed myself and almost finished. I made the quilt blocks using my QuiltPro software. They are paper-pieced. I then digitized the antennae in my Embird software to embroider. The background fabric is a white on white print that says, "P.S. I Love You" all over it. All fabric came from stash except the inspiration border print and the lavender solid.

After all my careful calculations and choosing the coordinating wing color fabrics, it is still slightly too short. I need to purchase batting and backing soon so I can get this quilted. I will most likely bind it with the border print. I also cut my borders wrong then stitched them on in reverse order, but oh well, I am calling the mistakes design features.

Also, whilst lying around watching absolutely nothing of interest on T.V. (I do not particularly like television and rarely ever turn it on), I decided to try and finish my counted cross stitch piece. This is another hobby that I have many pieces in different stages of completion. I am almost done with the outlining, then on to cleaning, blocking and framing (professionally). I am a die hard Winnie-the-Pooh fan.

Happy Sewing

P.S. Please excuse my poor formatting. This is my first time blogging. I am unfamiliar with Blogger, and I must say, it is not easy.

Finally!!!

2008-06-08T19:08:00.000-04:00

I sewed! I made me a skirt using some cheap cotton fabric from JoAnn's that was given to me. It has a summery, girly print. I used Simplicity 7513 View D.

I changed the way the waist part was done. I really like this skirt. I hope to make some more as it feels like summer living to me. I want to post a photo, but cannot seem to get a good shot of it by myself.

I am currently working again on my daughter's quilt. I must say, quilting (or piecing I should say) makes me so very happy. The cute fabrics, bright colors and different shapes really cheer me up. I am putting on the borders for a quilt I actually designed myself. I, of course, sewed the side on backwards and lost all my mojo instantly. I will go back perhaps tomorrow.

Anyways....I hope to make more stuff for me as I never have been on to sew for myself. I just need to figure a way to buy fabrics appropriate for an adult and in long enough yardage for an adult. I have a huge stash of quilting fabrics (mostly fat quarters) and children type fabrics.

Until later, happy sewing!

O Good God!

2008-05-30T13:15:00.001-04:00

I am having major issues getting in the "crafty" mood. Summer is almost upon us, and I have oodles of time to "play." I cannot figure out what is wrong.

I took the kiddos to my sister's house for the Memorial Day weekend. It was suppose to be fun and games. We were all heading to a new water park for sun and fun. Good God! I do not think I will ever spend that much time with my sister and her girlfriend again. I think even my little kiddos may have not had much fun.

They are just very very --tchy women! I know that they are in the menopausal stage but good grief! I just hope that everyone else in the world had a great weekend.

I did realize that I seriously need to learn to sew a swimsuit something fierce.

Happy Sewing!

Refashioning Clothes

2008-05-16T15:32:00.000-04:00

I have been surfing the net today and came across this blog, http://nikkishell.typepad.com/wardroberefashion/. I have been doing this kind of thing on and off since I was a child. I am considering doing some more. I hope to remember to take before pictures from now on as I always forget!

Happy Sewing!

I don't know.......

2008-05-15T08:36:00.000-04:00

My very first post on my very first blog!

Well, I read tons of blogs everyday, and thought I might try this out. I really hated writing in school, but always loved to keep "diaries" to keep me sane! LOL

I do not think any one will read this, but that's fine with me. I am happy with me and my life. I just want a place to say my peace and talk about the things I make (as my hubby gets that deer in the headlights look when I try to tell him). I hope to post pictures of the stuff I make.

Anyway....like my title says, I don't know. We will see how this goes and what becomes of this blogging thing.

Happy Sewing!