Santa Sack Swap

Cheryl over at "Gone Stitchin" is having the coolest swap.  It's a six month committment but sounds like it's going to be really fun.  Starting in July you make a bag and send some goodies WRAPPED UP in it.  Each month you send another goodie or two WRAPPED UP.  The idea is that you have six months of presents to open up in December from your partner.

Loads of fun and lots of surprises, just up my alley!  Come join the fun. 

Pincushion Swap!

Okay, it may just be the four of us, if you all still want to exchange pincushions,  OR we could each make three and send them to each other!  I could use three new ones!!
 
This is what I thought we could do--

1.  Leave a comment and tell me for sure you want to swap and if you want to make more than one.
2.  Your choice of any cute pincushion pattern or one you design yourself
3.  Mail date May 2, 2011 to partner/partners
4.  Send me your email and physical address -- firstos@sbcglobal.net
5.  Signups until next Monday--April 11, 2011!

Pretty simple!  Let's do it!  And if anyone else wants to join, let me know.

The truth about men!

I received this in an email this morning and it made me laugh!  Whoever gathered all this MUST have known my husband!!  LOL  I had to share.



WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED:


Men Are Just Happier People --

What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put.

The garage is all yours.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.

Chocolate is just another snack.

You can be President.

You can never be pregnant.

You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

You can wear NO shirt to a water park.

Car mechanics tell you the truth.

The world is your urinal.

You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.

You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

Same work, more pay.

Wrinkles add character.

Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.

People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

You know stuff about tanks.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

You can open all your own jars.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite you,

He or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough..

You almost never have strap problems in public.

You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes..

Everything on your face stays its original color.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life.

One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.

You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look

You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.

You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives

On December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.


NICKNAMES

· If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.

· If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba and Wildman .



EATING OUT

· When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

· When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.



MONEY

· A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

· A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.



BATHROOMS

· A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.

· The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.



ARGUMENTS

· A woman has the last word in any argument.

· Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.



FUTURE

· A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

· A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.



SUCCESS

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.



MARRIAGE

· A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

· A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.



DRESSING UP

· A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.

· A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.



NATURAL

· Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

· Women somehow deteriorate during the night.



OFFSPRING

· Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

· A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!

Pincushion Sites!

Since I'm thinking of PINCUSHIONS, I've been doing a little research and found all these wonderful sites that have patterns available and/or images of ones that are so cute.

So if we decide to do a swap, we've got the ideas!!

Pincushion Sites:


http://tipnut.com/22-free-pincushion-patterns/


http://paperstringcloth.blogspot.com/2007/07/pincushion-tutorial.html


http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2010/08/teacup-pincushion-tutorial-roundup.html


http://www.stamps-and-stitches.com/2010/01/cupcake-pincushion-tutorial.html


http://www.bhg.com/crafts/sewing/accessories/patchwork-pincushion/


http://www.squidoo.com/pretty-pincushion-patterns


http://www.copycatcrafts.com/10-kick-ass-pincushion-patterns/


http://pinkeeps.blogspot.com/2009/08/60-free-pincushion-patterns.html


http://www.cafemom.com/group/112383/forums/read/13111493/60_Free_Pincushion_Patterns


http://www.thediydish.com/2011/03/joel-dewberry-joins-the-diy-dish-twins-make-a-bird-pin-cushion/


And the last one had a suggestion I'd never heard of--walnut litter for stuffing!!  You get the walnut shell litter at pet stores, it's reptile litter.  Supposedly, it is heavier so cushions will sit without falling over and it also sharpens your pins.  I think I may go get some and try it out!!

Pincushion Challenge?

There seems to be the cutest pincushions being made everywhere I look.  I was thinking about making some and it got me to thinking of what I'd use for stuffing.  I've been doing some research and someone suggested using a SOS pad.  Something about it sharpening our pins and needles while holding them.  That certainly makes sense.  Have any of you done this?

Now I know we all already have so many pincushions, but you need more than one right??  I have one by my sewing machine, one on by cutting table, one on my ironing board and a few in my portable sewing kits.  Plus I have some chickens sitting around too!  And I bet most of us could find one of those old red apples with the needle sharpener bud attached to it in one of our drawers.  Then there are wrist and finger cushions, in addition to regular ones, plus pincushions in teacups, little figurines, etc.  So interesting, don't you think?!

SOME of mine, but nothing cute like they're making now!

Maybe some of you have collections.  Would love to see pics of those. 

We all have so many projects we are working on but sometimes, I need a distraction--a quick project--something fun!  And some of mine are looking a little, should be say, worn.  Which brings me to my idea.  Would any of you be interested in a pincushion challenge?  We could call it our PINCUSHION PARTY!   We could just make them for ourselves and post pictures--- OR have a swap.  I really would like to do that if there's enough interest.   I love getting surprises!!

Leave a comment with some ideas if you're interested and if there's enough people wanting to have an exchange I'll come up with some guidelines. 

We have a winner!!

The winner of my giveaway is NANCY from Louisiana.  She gets the following:

A yard of this beautiful blue that I have been saving for something.  I guess this is it!!  Enjoy Nancy--make something beaUtiful.  And the seam ripper,  can you have too many of these?  I think not!  I have them everywhere.  It's bad enough to "reverse sew", I believe they should be handy.  lol

Thank you all for "doing" the Jump Start tour, it really was fun!

"Jump-Start your Quilting" Blog Tour" and Giveaway

How exciting it is for me to have the opportunity to review a quilt out of the new book, "Jump-Start your Quilting".

This book has over 40 projects that uses fat quarters, charm packs, jelly rolls, and 10" layer cakes to give you a head start on quilt projects.  What a great idea!  There are many books out there that use fat quarters or one of the other pre-cuts, but I haven't seen any that use all of them like this one--I love it.  And what a help for those of us who have these wonderful pre-cuts in our stash already and don't know what to do with them. 


Besides quilts in this book,  there are placemats, pillows, stockings, table runners and abundant gift ideas.  You will definitely find something you want to make in this book.  One of my daughters has already chosen several she wants for Christmas.   Guess I don't have any excuses about having time for making them.

"Cheerful Blooms and Buttons" is one of the projects that just shouts SPRING to me.  This quilt combines piecing and applique with wonderful embellishments of rickrack and buttons.

The jumbo rickrack, which is so popular  these days, is such an interesting addition.  It makes your eyes dance across the quilt!  Don't you love the whimsical flowers with the darling buttons accenting them.  And the flowers are so unusual, simple but so attractive, just perfect for the the quilt.


The beautiful floral outside border print really pulls the quilt together.  This would make a wonderful wallhanging for someone special--even yourself!


You can purchase this book from Clotilde.


Be sure to check out all these blogs to see some other projects from this book. 


Day 1 (March 10) Victoria Wolfe -- http://www.bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/
Day 2 (March 11) Linda Oberholzer -- http://quiltcookies.blogspot.com/ 
Day 3 (March 12) Jessi Jung -- http://laurenandjessiblog.com/
Day 4 (March 13) Pat Sloan -- http://patsloan.typepad.com/
Day 5 (March 14) Melanie Sullivan -- http://www.texasfreckles.com/
Day 6 (March 15) Aunt Pitty Pat -- http://auntpittypats.blogspot.com/
Day 7 (March 16) Glenna Hailey -- http://www.hollyhockquilts.com/


Thanks for visiting my blog!  If you have made it this far, I'm giving away a surprise gift (FABRIC) so please leave a comment that tells me whether you like doing applique or not and I'll pick a random number for a winner.  If you post about my end of the tour on your blog, add another comment and you'll get an extra chance!

It took me a lot of years trying to figure out the "A" word, as my friends and I used to call it, as there are so many different ways to do it.  I really like the beautiful needle turned method, but it takes me forever.  So lately I've been appliqueing by machine with a buttonhole stitch, works for me!    
   
Be sure to visit the sites listed above, you'll be glad you did!  And I'll announce my winner when the tour is over.

Cosmetic Bags

I've been making the cutest little bags lately.  So simple AND quick.

This one I added the rickrack.  It seems rickrack has really made a comeback lately. And this jumbo size does make a statement!

The body of the purse/bag used a flip and sew method to quilt it.

On this bag I added a handle. Straight line quilting was all I did on this one.





This was the smallest bag made and I did free motion quilting on the bottom portion of it.  A little butterfly
button  chose its home on the upper green section.

It seems like lots of quilt stores are selling the very colorful zippers and it really is fun to use them in projects like this.  They show up so well!

As you can tell the bags are all different sizes, very easily done.  I think I'll be giving them as cosmetic bags for ovenight trips.

Vintage Aprons

Today my sister who is moving soon to Florida, gave me her collection of old aprons.  I also have a collection, so I was excited.  She had washed them but not ironed, so I immediately ironed them and took pictures.  I grabbed the ones in the bottom of my towel drawer, which I never use but like to look at occasionally and took pics of them too. 

The only time I wear an apron is on holidays when I'm in the kitchen all morning and I would never wear one of these.  I need a heavy duty one!  I'm a sloppy cook.  lol  I guess a lot of these were worn after the meal was completely done and the cooks wanted to look fresh.
 



These were made of organza, cotton fabric and rickrack.



The highlight in these are hankerchiefs.




An apron entirely made of hankerchiefs and a fancy one with printed white decoration.



Cotton and rickrack!!  The sturdy type.



As you can tell this one is very dainty and a full size apron.

When I saw this magazine/book last year, I thought it was so interesting.  There are lots of aprons made from unusual items such as, crocheted doilies, tea towels, men's ties, newspapers, handkerchiefs, and also lots of different styles.   A fun book to peruse!

I found this poem on the internet that I thought was so fitting and maybe some of you will remember your Grandma's apron.

Grandma's Apron                                            By Tina Trivett

The strings were tied, It was freshly washed, and maybe even pressed. For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed. The simple apron that it was, you would never think about; the things she used it for, that made it look worn out. She may have used it to hold some wildflowers that she'd found. Or to hide a crying child's face, when a stranger came around. Imagine all the little tears that were wiped with just that cloth. Or it became a potholder to serve some chicken broth. She probably carried kindling to stoke the kitchen fire. To hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire. When canning all her vegetables, it was used to wipe her brow. You never know, she might have used it to shoo flies from the cow. She might have carried eggs in from the chicken coop outside. Whatever chore she used it for, she did them all with pride. When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest. I'm sure the apron that she chose, was her Sunday best.

I wonder where I've put the rest of my aprons.  I need to locate them somewhere in this house and get them all together in a box.  Then sometime I'll get them all out when my granddaughters are here and explain another time when aprons were stylish.

Mail Sack

This bag is BIG and wonderful!  I think it will be great when going shopping or taking classes.  It goes over your head, so your hands are free.   The pattern is by Pink Chalk Studio.   I made it to try using some new techniques and feet on my Bernina!

As you can see, the big yellow flower has been outlined with cording. I used the Free Motion Couching #43 foot on my Bernina. Really fun to do!

                 The Sashiko was also interesting to do.  I used a topstitch needle with Cordonnet thread, which is heavy and thick that shows up very nicely.  And having the Cordonnet foot #11 also helped feed the thread evenly.   If you can't or won't do the very impressive regular hand sewn Sashiko, you must try this!  It's a nice look.



Happy Valentine's Day!



Sweethearts in 1962!

 Yes, 1962, that is not a typo.  How could it be that long ago--it seems like yesterday.  We didn't get married until three years later.  Time enough for him to get his military service and my graduating and business college done.

We've had a very happy and wonderful life and I've never regretted marrying this fellow.

As for a romantic (as I am) he is NOT!

We were married in March and the following Valentine's Day, he asked me what I wanted.  I told him I didn't want anything and he didn't get me ANYTHING!!  Can you imagine?  What was he thinking!!   He took a lot of ribbing about that.  He still doesn't always get me things all the time.  He says he likes to surprise me and doesn't want me to expect things.  Ha!  Got to love that man.

He never complains about anything I do, let's me do what I want and supports my quilting habit, so after all these years I have realized that "things" are really not what a true love buys you, it's how every day is spent loving each other.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day, but most of all, I hope you all have that kind of day EVERYDAY!  If you have a special Valentine, let me hear about him.

More SNOW!

Okay, enough is enough.  Oklahomans are not used to getting this much snow so often.  This has been the third storm in less than a month.  How do people get used to this up North?  I guess that is why I love Oklahoma.  You know the old saying of ours,  "If you don't like the weather, just wait a day or so and it will change."  Our forecast includes temps in the 50's this weekend.  I'll be ready for that.

So here is the same shot as the last time from my back door.

As you can see we got more snow, about 10-12 inches.  The snow is lighter and a little easier to clean up.  There was no ice ahead of time which helps getting around now, not that I am going anywhere for a while. 

My husband is home today so getting into the sewing room may not be possible.  He wants to watch a movie this afternoon.  It's "Date Night" which my daughter, Stacey, says his hilarious.  Guess we'll stay in, away from the exceptionally cold weather outside, relax, and get the popcorn ready!