Quilting, stitching, crocheting

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Monday, January 24, 2011

Sewing Lesson with my niece ...

Today I had the wonderful joy of giving my niece (NJ) her first sewing lesson.  We went to the fabric store and she got the needed notions of pins, scissors, thread etc.  We picked out a pattern and fabric for her first project ... diaper cover for her baby boy who is about to have his first birthday celebration.

At her house I had to get familiar with her new machine, so I could then show her how to use it.  It took a little time, but we figured it out and she got to sew her first straight line.  Exciting !!  By that time, I had to leave to pick up my DGD:T.  I will be going back on friday so we can put it all together.

Apparently her husband loved the quilts I brought to show them when she first got her machine.  So eventually she wants to make a quilt.  Yeah !!

In the meantime I have been working on finishing up my WIPs from 2010.  I decided to have a big pinwheel party ... all my borders and sashing will be pinwheels.  I have well over a 100 of them going all at once ... assembly-line style ....


Above is about half of the completed pinwheels with Moda charm pack of Swell (older line of fabric).  I added the solids.  This is what got me started on the pinwheel idea to also use for borders.

Well I am having difficulty uploading anymore pictures.  Stay tuned I will be back to finish but it is late tonite.

Love and hugs, Joanne





Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hello again!!

I am here .... quietly working on projects and enjoying the holidays with friends and family.  One of the yearly traditions I have with my DGDs is to make gingerbread houses together.  We started when the girls were very young and it was a major mess and quite a challenge. One year we even made a gingerbread train and trees too.  But the girls are older now and are pretty independent with their creative process. Altho Lucky, my "quilt supervisor", decided it was time to also help them with their houses this year.





Lucky is helping Ju and Tay but Tay's pix would not load for me



 Ju (above) decided a blizzard hit her house and blew part of the roof off ... actually she ate it !!


No blizzard at Tay's house ... :-)

There is a lesson that I have learned repeatedly in my life.  And even tho I am now a grandmother, I had to be reminded of this lesson again this year. ( I am a very slow learn at times.)  Anyhow, I still haven't learned to never say 'never' ..... " I would never do that" and I find myself at some point and time doing that very thing.  Sometimes the phrase is said in self-righteousness and other times said in dread. My first Minkee quilt was so difficult to make, that I said I would never make another one.  But then I found myself with so much left over fabric that I could not let it go to waste ... so I found myself starting a second one.

Then about 2.5 weeks before Christmas my DD asked me if I would consider making another.  You see the daughter of her very close friend wanted a blanket like Robin's for Christmas.  Not only did she want one but it was 1 of only 2 gifts she that she asked for.  Guess what .... yes, I made another one .....



I even managed some pillows to match ....





Her favorite colors were orange and pink.  Each Minkee I make gets a little easier .... it is a good thing because I have bunches of leftovers to work with now ..... PLUS my long-arm gal gave me all her minkee scraps. Yippee!  That is what I get for saying "I'll never ...."

I have a modest collection of teapots.  It is not a collection that I intentionally started. It started when a  friend of mine died of Hodgkins Disease when we were both 24 and she left me her teapot.  Someone else saw it and gave me another. Then another person added to those two .... and so my collection has grown over the years.  I got a new tea set to add to the collection this year for Christmas .....


This has got to be the smallest tea set in the world and I love it !!  The lid actually comes off the teapot and the sugar bowl.  There is enough space inside to put a few drops of tea too.  How fun !!!!    Adorable !!!

Since the holidays I have been finishing quilting projects .... the Puzzle Quilt and the black & purple one made it to D.C. in time for Christmas for the DGD.  Just finished my DD's quilt this week. I have to finish her hubby's quilt and then those are off to D.C. too.   Hopefully this week.

Would love to hear from you all. I will be catching up on all your blogs this week ..... cheers and hugs to all .....