Gardening and Grannys

My pal Amy at "During Quiet Time" has been having more fun with her garden series of paper pieced patterns.  

Don't you  just love this pot and spade combo.  I did a little extra by using some leftover HSTs on the pot.  Sewed the label from a couple of scraps of sewing themed fabric. The label says "Block of the Month, Quilt as desired"!  I will!:) BTW...this pattern is FREE on Amy's blog!!

The fifth in Amy's series is this gorgeous greenhouse.  Don't you just love the lace on the top...I would love to have a greenhouse like this....we have stacks of odd windows in our basement...maybe one day!:)  Go visit Amy's blog and see her amazing version of this Victorian Greenhouse, tell her I sent you!

Round 12 at the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt-Along is Granny Squares.  I used some 4" 1895 batiks I already had cut out so it made the blocks 15".  Used the leftovers in the center.  Now I need to quilt it but I'm having a problem thinking how I want to do it...any suggestions?

At work I've been leading our Mystery Block of the Month quilt, these are the blocks for May...have I shown you the other four blocks I've made for this quilt?  I can't remember!

~d
ps...this took me forever to post....learning the new blogger...but I kinda like it.
Now I need to figure out Google Chrome!!

I skipped the gym this morning....for DISCOVERY!!

Not once, not twice, not three times but FOUR times we were able to see Discovery on her piggyback ride with her fighter jet escort!!

Spur of the moment...
"Honey...don't you want to take a ride to see the shuttle?"

"Aren't you going to the gym?"

"Not if we go see the shuttle!":)

So we did...FOUR times!

(Taken through back side tinted window!)

The first time we are in traffic trying to find a place to park....there it goes behind us doing it's first flyover Dulles Airport!! Freaking Awesome!!

We listened to the radio for frequent updates and knew when it finished flying over Washington, DC several times and was heading back...

Second time better view! Picture isn't so good because I'm trying to live in the moment...and take a picture!:)

We should have realized there was going to be another flyover since the landing gear wasn't down....many minutes later...seemed like forever...
...Oh....my....gosh! Third time it was really hard to take pictures ...

...I just couldn't get over we were seeing this...

....unfreaking believable! End of show...so we thought! Decided to avoid all the traffic and take the scenic way home...not realizing we'd be able to see the west side of the airport and runway...

...yep....the forth time...there she is resting comfortably....soaking in her last successful voyage.

(The end of a perfect morning...a berry smootie!)

Welcome home Discovery....we'll come visit real soon!

~d

The Blog Post from H@@L

I have been at this for FOUR hours! Photos, commentary, links...on dial up! All of it disappeared, Phoof! Just won't work...so here is the abbreviated version of ...

Birthdays+Easter+Sewing+Yardwork=Busy!

Gooey birthday cookie for hubby.

Visit at the parents place...
Gooey birthday coconut cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies for the boy.

The boy and his girl counting their egg hunt loot! Thanks grandparents!!

Quickie tripod made by dad. Post-it note shade + pine bark mulch prop=family photo. I need a copy...

...but I got this!:)

The girl spent her birthday at Faerie Glen on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. So jealous!

Sewing completed...

Bitty Block Bee 3.5" blocks for Marilyn...her theme was Bees!

Hoop Up! swap piece for Leila...her town...little did I know she can see this from her window!

Embroidery just for fun photographed at work in a drawer full of cottons...I want that drawer!!!

More scrap busting and a new phone. Had the old one for 8 years, hope it doesn't take that long to learn how to use this one!

Secret project finished!;)

Some lovelies received....top piece by Jo, bottom by Sooz....I heart you both ladies!:)

Next project staring at me....

...and this one. Wonder which one will be first?

~d

ps...sorry no links....I need a nap!

Patterns, Pineapple and Primroses!

She did it again...another fun and fabulous paper piecing pattern! Who doesn't like garden gloves? So much fun and protection too!:)
Amy of "During Quiet Time" let me test another pattern...loved it...even though I did it wrong! I meant for the green dots to be the bottom of the gloves not the top!

Oh well....this is a lesson for all of you on what not to do! Want to sew a pair of your own...go visit Amy's etsy shop...and see the pattern pieced the right way!:)

Finished a few more things....

...this embroidery piece for Jo in my Hoop Up! group...she wanted whimsical and slightly creepy...I think an owl with snaps for eyes and a lion with a wind blown tummy does it for me!:) Click here to see what Jo made for Leila, our other group member, it's amazing!:)

Made a couple more minis, Nancy from work gave me the scraps for the mini on the right...scraps from my Granny Square quilt are in the zig zag...guess I should really finish the Granny!:)

Made a double decker pineapple upside down cake for the best father-in-law in the world...yummers!

Cleaned out the veggie garden...see that pile in the middle...it needs to go in the compost bins....soon!:)

(Old Gardeners never die, they just spade away! Bwhahahaa!)

I think I need a new pair of gloves before planting anything...too bad I can't make some!;)

Before I start planting I need to iron, trim and sew these 32 blocks for Nichol's quilt in the Around the Bend and Across the Pond Round Robin. Why did I pick five directional fabrics?!!!

~d

A Tisket, A Tasket.....Oh...That's for a Basket....

....This is a Watering Can!:) An adorable Watering Can pattern by my pal Amy at During Quiet Time! This is one talented chica...I have learned a lot and been so inspired by her work.

Can you believe she was nice enough to let me test it out....guess she knew if I...self proclaimed newbie at the paper piecing stuff....could do it then anyone could do it!:)

Yep...there are some little pieces but I only had to use my seam ripper a couple of times...same seam ripper that Amy's hubby made so at least it's a lovely thing to use!:) You should zip on over to Amy's blog and see a way better version of this cute pattern...she made a pillow too!:) You have to see how she sewed the handle on the pillow....amazing!

If you'd like to buy this awesome pattern head on over to Amy's Etsy shop ...tell her I sent you!:)

On the Hoop Up! front, I finally started on Jo's embroidery piece....I have a lot more done on it but this is a little sneak peek. Yep...it's a Zentangle pattern!:) I need to get this finished and heading to it's new home in Scotland!

I know it's March but here's what we sent the girl for Valentine's day...a pillowcase made out of the panel from the "What a World" collection. I edited this picture so you could see the front and the back...or the right and the left however you want to say it!:) I made a pillowcase because I figured the girl had enough quilts or things to put on her wall....but she wished she could hang it.

Can't win!:)

~d

Introducing....DA DA-DA DAAAA.....

a new young pattern designer....MAXIMILIAN QUILTS!! Yep, this is the same Max that swapped minis with me last year and now he's designing paper piece patterns....and he just turned NINE years old four days ago!!

(Part of my stash in the jelly cupboard!)

Isn't this dolphin just perfect?! I was going to give it to someone but I love it so much I'm going to keep it and put my favorite pins (brooches) on it!

What's even better is young Max is sharing his pattern with the WORLD!:) All you have to do is go visit him in flickrland and you can download the pattern for free!!:) Thanks so much Max...you ROCK! Can't wait to see what you design next...can I be one of your pattern testers? Please?!:) xoxo

Yes, I know it's been a long time since I blogged...thanks so much for sticking with me! Been doing a little of this and a little of that.
A little of this...a Mystery Quilt at work. Like the fabric we picked? I've done the first month's block and need to get brave and work on the next one...triangles...oh my! I'll post photos soon.

Here's a little of that... something I made with some scraps of David Butler's new line Curious Nature. I used some Bella solids and did a little hand stitching. Then I did a dumb thing. I washed it...cause I wanted it more crinkly...but I forgot to put a color catcher in the wash....needless to say there are a few dark spots on the light green border. Oh well, live and learn....and I was going to give it to someone but guess it's mine now!:)

I've also been bitten by the Zentangle bug! Here are a few Valentine's I made the kids...it really is a fun thing to do and having new patterns to doodle is great...no more stuck in a rut with my stacked boxes doodle!:)

See the US and UK flags in this one?

I wonder if the girl noticed?!








One other little project I finished last week....

....a mat to put under Slate's bowls...Max and Whiskers...too cute!

I don't think Slate really noticed the change!:)

~d

I MADE three yards of fabric today!

It has been a really strange winter....warm, rainy, cold, rainy, warm, rainy, gloomy, gloomy, gloomy! I don't remember a winter with so few days of sunshine. I can take the cold but I need my vitamin D!

One redeeming thing about the clouds...we have had some lovely sunrises!

In the meantime I have been busy with all the flickr swaps I joined...silly me! More than I have ever done at one time and my first Round Robin. Above is my center, signature block and journal that has crossed the pond joining Jo in the UK...all a part of the Around the Bend and Across the Pond round robin! If you go look at Jo's photostream you can see the fabric she has pulled for my center and all the other lovely things she has created! WhoooHOooo!!

Also for the first time I'm doing a traditional online Bee, this one is called

Sew Fun Bee! Cute huh?!:) Twelve crazy quilters, each assigned a month, each gets to pick what they want the other eleven crazies to make for them. Krista, our fearless head crazy, wanted anything Trees! Above is what I made, a swing tree and HP's Whomping Willow. Click here to see all the other amazing free paper piecing patterns on the blog Fandom in Stitches! My month is November so I have a long time to pick my theme.

Round 3 of Hoop Up! is getting ready to start....sign-ups are until Jan. 31. Last round my theme was Classic Modern Furniture. I enjoyed it so much I picked it again for this round. Above is my inspiration piece... Snowflake of Ghost Chairs! I really, really love those chairs...one day...one day! So if you love embroidery and I know you do, go check it out and maybe even sign up!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I did make some yardage by sewing together loads and loads of WOF (width of fabric) scraps in a rainbow of colors!

Each of them are at least 12" wide so

12 times 9 divided by 36= 3 yards of fabric!:)

What to do...what to do?!

~d