Starting Bonnie's mystery

Here's the fabric I picked out for Bonnie's new mystery, Carolina Christmas. Started the day after Thanksgiving. Clue 2 is up and I still haven't finished with clue 1 ... lol Drat work, gets in my way of having sewing fun at home. Oh, Thanksgiving day hub complained about the tons of unwashed material on top of dryer. Said for me not to buy any more until I could find a place for what I have or to use some of it up. After a serious "silence" time and after smoothing my ruffled feathers I guess you can say I agree with him. There is way too much here in this tiny trailer. My goal for 2010 is to use up what I have. Okay, some purchases along the way, going to buy white with small print and cream with small print. This way sooner or later I will have some to put in one of Bonnie's mysteries. Gives the quilt some depth and it looks P U R T Y ... hahaha Oh, and still have to buy some batiks here and there and still keep buying for my pinks collection that I've been working on for some years. One day going to do a pink and brown quilt! UMMM ... since I have to buy this and that, does this mean I will have less of a stash? (EG) :) :) :)

Will post pic of clue 1 when and if I get it all done.

Oh! And next month will be doing an Ann Smith mystery. This is what got me in trouble. Saw a pretty damn cute Valentine doggie and cat fabric at Joann's and had to get it, plus had to look around for some fabrics that went with it that will go in the mystery. AND then saw some bird fabric that I grabbed and growled over. Oh and then at the check out line a magazine caught my eyeballs. Geeeeeezzzzzz Louise, keep me out of Joann's!!! Especially when I don't have a blasted coupon with me.

The Mini from He** is done ...

Finished this Carol Doak mini late last night. FINALLY. Anything and everything that could go wrong ... DID. It was Sept. 4th when she posted the challenge. Liked the looks of it so went to Joann's and got some of the fabrics I didn't have in stash. I have cussed at and pushed this mini aside quite a few times, let me tell you! At least it is done. Think I will "birth" it, that is when I find out how to birth one. Don't care for my choice of colors or fabrics, so don't want to spend too much time in getting it completely done.

Day 2 continued ... :)

Can't believe it ... already finished with section E and F!!! This day is good, getting on in the evening, but this day is good ... haha Pups food has been cooked and I even have a load of washing in the washer.

Not sure of my fern colors. Seems pale and hardly noticeable against that darn sky fabric. Oh, well, onward and upward. I sure ain't a gonna do over again.

Back to sewing I goooooooooo



9:19pm ... it's all done! WOW ... amazed myself. Now to see what kind of border I can come up with for it. Really enjoyed doing this mystery. Perhaps not my fabric choices.

Shopping for some batiks next week!!! lmao!!!

Paper Piecing

Working on Paper Panache mystery #52. If you are doing it and haven't gotten to the point where you know what it is, don't look at my picture ... hahaha Downloaded the pattern late last night, colored it in to find out what it was going to be and when I saw that it was a flamingo decided to work on it. Like those long legged birdies. And pink seems to be my "new" color right now for some odd reason. Getting old and tastes change, I suppose. But I still love my browns! And just bought 4 yards of some at Wal-mart yesterday. If and when I finish this bird am hoping to start on one of Cindy Carter's patterns called Scrappy Fall Leaves. Check out her site. She is very talented and comes up with some great free patterns!!!

Off I get. Need to work some more on pinkie bird ... lol lol lol

Day 2 ... just finished doing sections C and D and adding it to sections A and B that I did last night. Progress! lol Funny looking flamingo but at least I'm working on it. Think I'm going to start buying batiks. See an awful lot of people using them and they sure can make for a great quilt. Now just watch me buy the wrong kinds when I do. This old gal has weird tastes when it comes to fabric that attracks her ... haha But I really do think batiks are the way to go. Will start out like I did years ago when I got into quilting, fat quarter here and there and work my way up to ½ yard and then into yards of it.

Back to sewing. See how much more of this I can get done.

What I got in the mail today!!!

Oh, heck, long day at work today. Was tired as all get out. Didn't have to walk home, though, boss man gave me a ride! I checked the mailbox and then went inside to greedily open two packages my sister sent me (all thoughts of being tired went out of head and body quickly!). Both packages contained some counted cross stitch pictures I had done YEARS ago. And in one of the package sis had sent me a birthday card with some $$$money$$$ wrapped up in a "bee-U-tee-full" antique hankie. I immediately called her, wanted to speak with her and thank her for what she did before I bawled like a baby. Which I promptly did after we finished talking ... haha

Anyhow, these pictures all need to be washed. Filthy! Each were in a frame, but she took them out so that it wouldn't cost a small fortune to send me. Some of the glass had been broken in a few and some of the frames scratched. I can frame them again, no biggie. Am mulling around the idea of adding a patchwork border on each and sandwiching them. Soft framing ... lol That way if they get dirty again they can go in washer. And if need to move from here to wherever they won't weigh a ton, be breakable and cost oddles of dollars to send. All of these were done back in my still young eyes days. The girl with her arm resting on her knee was done in 1987. The girl in blue dress holding hat was done in 1988. LONG time ago!

Now will get back to my silly tears and put my thinking hat on ... lmdao!!!!!!!!!!

Last night ... whaaaaaaa

Was working on a Carol Doak holiday mini last night. Just having one grand old time. Itty bitty pieces so far. 16 of the 4½" blocks that is required. Started ironing what I had added on to all the blocks. 3rd block from the last my iron spit ... NO ... let me rephrase that ... the damn iron vomited all over the block!!!!!!! I went into a temper tanrum!!! It ain't the first time over ... ummm ... 6 years? ... that this confounded, stupid, idiotic, blasted contraption has done this to me. LAST STRAW!!! I cussed, I fussed, I wept and cussed some more. NEVER again will I buy a Proctor Silex iron. Why have I put up with it all these years? Because I'm a confounded, stupid, idiotic, blasted human. And cheap one too ... haha Just look at what it did to the poor little defensless block, the muslin sheet and the ironing board cover!



Here is the GREMLIN. Named after those cute little critters ... that is until you gave them WATER.

Went shopping today after playing bingo. Got this new Shark iron at Wally world. Am hoping it will not have to be named Gremlin2. Time will tell ... haha

Have turned it on so far, not used it, just waiting to see if it shuts off or I have to unplug it after every use. Keeping fingers crossed that it will turn out to be a fairly good iron!!!

I am still around :)

I haven't posted since ... FOREVER. Was doing pretty well then my sis got sick and sent to hospital towards the end of February and almost lost her. Put a damper on being creative. Couldn't let her outdo me. I came down sick in May, fought it for nearly 2 weeks then went to see a doctor. That turkey called an ambulance and sent my fat unhappy butt to hospital for a few days. Was away from work for 3 weeks. Had pneumonia which was bad on me since they found out I also have mild emphysema. Hospital, tests, scans, doctor visits. I'll be poor for awhile since insurance doesn't cover everything. Bah hum bug. Oh, have to mention, the lung specialist that came to see me got my heart to pumping ... haha Haven't had that happen since Dr. Kildare (remember him? lol lol lol)

Anyhow ... had some good in my life. Belong to a yahoo quilt group (one of many ... haha). This lady posted a picture of her son and guess what!? He is a customer that comes in store where I work! Small world. Patty came to Washington to be with her sons new wife for a few weeks while he had to go away on business. We have gotten together and have had a blast!!! She leaves tomorrow to go back home. I am going to miss her horribly. She has been quilting since 1977 and is a wealth of quilting information! Did get hubby to take a picture of us together ... lol Patty is a total blast to get together with.