2nd Container Found in Sewing Room

For Sweet P's give-away, here is my 2nd container in the sewing room.

This is a Valentine's Day tin that my MIL sent many years ago filled with heart shaped sugar cookies. We ate (devoured, really) the cookies and I re-assigned the tin to my sewing space.

What's inside?





Rotary blades (new and used), sewing machine needles (new and used), pins (new) and, I do believe I see an old seam ripper...wondered where that went off to!

Uncle M's T-Shirts

While living in North Dallas, Texas, Uncle M. (DH's twin) started to ride his bicycle in races. M. collected a few t-shirts and since I am the only quilter he knows, he asked if I would make him a t-shirt quilt. Here are the t-shirts he has collected over his years in North Dallas plus a hanky from a race (instead of a t-shirt and no, he didn't give me the hanky yet). There are 15 shirts plus a few have writings on the back...mostly sponsor information. Most of the t-shirts have never been worn and are at least an XL with a few 2XL's tossed in for good measure. His 'rider request' has gone into the queue for making this quilt. Good thing M doesn't have a deadline for me as I have never made a t-shirt quilt before :) and I think I will be on a steep learning curve. LindaJ posted a tutorial about a cool 3D looking T-Shirt quilt she just finished piecing.

WIP Wednesday

Just a word of caution...not a lot of quilt-y content, just my life happenings right now...

The beaded keychains are almost done for the give-away at the day guild pot luck tomorrow. I'll pick up the potted plants for table decorations and year end gifts tonight as I have the blackest thumb known to mankind. I am always amazed when others blog about their success with plant life. Personally, I look at it, it wilts...I touch it (or water it), it dies. Wish me luck that I don't kill the gerber daisies while they are in my possession for 12 hours :)

Since I have to be at the meeting site early, I decided to make Grandma Parks' Mystery Muffins. They really taste like a chocolate goo-ey brownie. Perfect for stay at room temp while I decorate before the meeting. I really like to take something hot like cocktail meatballs in a crock pot but wasn't sure of the logistics of it all...so Grandma Parks' Mystery Muffins to the rescue. Thanks for sharing the recipe Grandma.

On the quilt-y front, Sweet P at Coffee Time Quilt Studio is hosting an interesting give-away. Post a picture of an unusual container in your sewing room and it's contents then comment back to her and you are entered! The prize? An interesting container and some quilt-y things. oh and you can enter as many times as you wish between now and her 300th post. I think she is at 295 or so.
My interesting container today...a cigar box.
Surprised?!


...and it holds bobbins from Valerie....empty, full and partially used and a screwdriver.

Well, I fell off the Stashbusting Bandwagon today at the local discount fabric store. The damage was 3 yards, not a lot but with no finishes this week, I'll be heading in the wrong direction!

So LJ, do you like what you see? big pink florals, golden yellow and sage green? Does any of it go with purple? Will it be used in the Great Wacky FAB Challenge? or am I just teasing the FAB's and have totally different ideas in my head floating around? shhhhh...it's a secret! :)

Happy Birthday Daisy

Six years ago today you were born in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Your Doggy Mom's name is Jewel and your Doggy Dad is Duke. Mom is 60 pounds, Dad is 110 pounds...thank goodness you are petite like your Doggy Mom.

A short six weeks later, you came to live with our family and enjoy our adventures.
Daisy on duty in the sewing room making sure that the scraps don't multiply :)
Daisy in the summer, chasing her tennis ball in the pool at the house in Texas.
Daisy in the winter, chasing her tennis ball in the snow in Wisconsin.

Stash Busting Report Week #23

Well, I started out the week working really hard then 'hit the wall' about Thursday. I have been pretty scarce around the sewing room these last few days.

My report for this past week follows:

• fabric received in: +0.5 yards (Wacky Challenge fabric! Thanks Pam and Norma!)
• fabric used: -5.0 yards
• net fabric for this week: -4.5 yards

Net fabric for the year: -34.5 yards

What I accomplished this week:

• finished piecing, quilted and bound a floral Disappearing 9 Patch

Goals for next week:

• make guild give away (30 or so)
• continue cutting and start piecing next graduation quilt gift

This upcoming week in the last one of this school year. DS will be done with exams on Wednesday and DD's last day is Thursday. During summer vacation, our favorite activites are sleeping late, staying up late and eating lunch out...care to join us on our summer vacation? :)

How Much Is Too Much?

I asked myself this question this last week and came to the conclusion that I needed to lighten 'the load'. Thanks to the wonderful wise words of the FAB's, I decided to enlist DD's help and we would bake banana bread together for her two bus drivers' 'end of school year' gifts.
A much better choice since DD can be a part of the gift making/giving experience. We used this recipe I found at http://www.allrecipes.com/. DD enjoys measuring and dumping ingredients as well as smashing the bananas. I cook because I have to but both the kids seem to thoroughly enjoy the whole process of cooking/baking. Must have inherited that from the Dad! :) Grandma and I had made a loaf earlier in the week to take to my Quilt Club meeting and it tasted yummy. Grandma gave her stamp of approval as it only has one (1!) cup of sugar in it. I skipped adding the nuts as you never know who may be allergic.

On the quilt-y front, I decided to cancel out of my textures long arm class this coming Wednesday at the Gammill Dealer. I think I would enjoy the class and take away more knowledge when I am less pre-occupied. Target time for class will be in the Fall and it will be a pretty ride here in Wisconsin with the leaves changing color. Funny how you make a decision like this and agonize over it, yet all along it must have been the right thing to do. DH came home from work last night and said he was heading to Iowa on business and planned to spend the night. Which night you might ask? I think we can all guess...Wednesday! If DS was scheduled to work then there would have been no one home for DD. Must have been the right decision all along...pantos will be the order of quilting for a spell at least.

The FAB's also suggested that I put away the Disappearing 9 Patches that have me bogged down and sew something I want to sew. I just hate to see the cut pieces become a UFO and unassembled at that! I did piece together a few more blocks and it was stress free! woohoo! Once again, their wise words will prevail...I will put away the d9p and start to sew on my nephew's graduation quilt. We are planning a whirlwind trip to Michigan for his graduation party the third weekend in June. DS wants to go, they have been BFF's---can boys be BFF's?---since my nephew was walking and DS was crawling...they are 13 months apart in age...yet DS doesn't want to take a lot of time away from his new-ish position. Can you believe it?...17 years old and getting to try his hand at chef-ery. One of the things he thinks he might want to pursue as a career. woohoo!

CONGRATS to the Detroit Red Wings! Winners of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs!

For some reason, I can't get a team picture with the cup to appear on blogger...

Done Just Under the Wire

This Floral Disappearing 9 Patch was done just under the wire today...a little too close for comfort! I was writing the message on the label and heat setting it at 5:00 pm, dinner at 5:30 pm and gifted to one of the Brownie Moms at 6:00 pm. wooo! I almost didn't make this deadline. Thank Goodness Grandma is visiting as Grandma and DS took care of the dinner preparations and serving tonight :) Sorry for the 'wonky' picture but I almost forgot to snap a photo as it was packed and ready to go out the door. That's DD under the red/white/blue quilt. I also quilted this with the Trailing Vine panto from Willow Leaf Studio as it was still on the table from the last Disappearing 9 Patch.

June Ist View

Here is my June 1st view from my kitchen window!

What a difference a few short weeks make!

Thanks to Sweet P. for suggesting this as a way to keep track of the year :)

Stash Busting Report Week #22

I did it! I did it!

No new fabric entered my home this week! WooHoo! a zero week! Can you tell I'm excited?! My report for this last week follows:

• fabric received in: 0 yards
• fabric used: -5 yards
• net fabric for the week: -5 yards

Net fabric for the year: -30 yards

What I accomplished this week:

• pieced, quilted and bound floral Disappearing 9 Patch
• help sew back the QOV binding

Goals for next week:

• continue working on end of the school year gift quilts (3 to go)

Well, I thought about it and I think I'm going to set my Stashbusting goal at 100 yards for the year. I know I will need to add fabric here and there to complete a project or two (mostly for borders and larger backings) but I hope that I can bust 100 yards! Thanks to all my blogger friends and JudyL for continuing 'their push' to help me achieve this goal. :)