Grrrrr!!!

OK, I've already admitted here that I'm not the greatest housekeeper. But!

After I mailed out last months postcards, I had to change the sewing room into a guest room. That meant nicely putting things away until I ran out of time, and then "just putting things away"! LOL Anyway, I apparently "put away" the little clear sleeves I use to mail out my postcards, and I'm nervous with the needle punch on the front of the cards of just sending them "as is"! Darn it! I'm sure they will show up eventually, and either in a place in plain site, or someplace really weird!

Oh, well. I'll figure out something!

Hugs
Vicki

Just a Little Tease

Before I show you my tease, I want to show you the cute card I received from Marie! I live in the middle of pine trees, and this card just reminds me of that. And Marie was bold enough to mail her card "as is"... no cover or envelope... and it arrived perfectly!! No smudges! (And with the cutest stamp I've ever seen - a starfruit!! Thanks so much Marie! I love it!

OK, just a little tease as to what this months postcards are going to look like... But as I looked at them, I was not quite happy with them. They needed more! More what??? hmmmm, MORE!!! So I did a little MORE. But that is the tease. I'm not showing the finished version until after my recipients have received them!! And actually there are 8 cards!

Oh, and I discovered that I could raise the needlepunch by gently rubbing over it with a damp washcloth. So if you get yours in the mail, and it is a little "flat", just try the damp washcloth trick. It works wonders.

So, now I've got the quilts go get back to. Sounds wonderful at this point! I'm loving getting a few things done!!

Hugs! And thanks for dropping by!

Door Valances are finished!

Yes, I really have them finished. Here is a picture of the two of them. The top one is hanging on the window as it should. The bottom on is pinned on the window covering. After the issues with the binding on the first one, I did cut the binding on the second one at 2 1/2 inches. It is a little wider on the back than I would prefer, but there were no missed places when I stitched it down.

Now on to my post cards that need to go out to the group on Monday. Then maybe the quilts that are in progress.

Hugs to all!

Help, What I did in Phoenix, and How fast they grow!

Before I get to my other two title topics, can anyone help me with this? I have the worst time getting bindings the right size. Either they are too skinny, and I fight with them, or they are too wide. Look at this:

I put the binding on the front, and turned it over to the back. I didn't want to hand sew it down, and I wanted the stitching on the front to be straight, so I sewed threw the binding on the front side after pinning the binding to the back. I really pinned it tight, but you can see, I missed catching it in several places. So the strips I used here were 2 inches wide. I'm going to cut new strips for the second valance that are 2 1/4 inches wide. I'm hoping that will do the trick. So what type of hints do you all have, that will make my binding easier, and not be too wide (which then flops all over the place on the back) or too narrow like this example??? Help Please!!

OK, last post I let you know that I was going to be in Phoenix and was looking forward to several hours to quilt, sew, what ever. So what did I do.... You aren't going to believe this. I spent the ENTIRE afternoon in two different eye doctor offices. All of a sudden on Monday I noticed a larger "floater" in my eye than normal. Now most people have floaters - when you close your eyes, and there is a bright light in front of you, you can see little pieces of "dust" floating around. They move with your eye movements. Those are floaters, and very common as I understand it. But this was a large thing, and I noticed it with my eye open. So to the Dr I went when we got to Phoenix. My regular Dr could not find any damage to my retina (a common cause of these bigger floaters!) but sent me to a retina specialist to be sure. The specialist determined that I had had a small bleed in my eye, and that is what I can "see". He could not see where it happened, and will check me in another 4 weeks again. In the mean time, I'm to watch for signs of my retina detaching, and call him immediately if that happens. I have great doctors, so I feel pretty good about that, but it is a little scary, and I won't mind a few prayers. I've said several myself already.





How fast they grow!





OK, I know both my boys are really men now, but you know how it hits home every so often??? Well I messaged my oldest this afternoon, and in conversation, asked him if he was at work or at home. The answer - NEITHER!. He was at the San Diego airport, waiting for his connection to San Jose. He was on a BUSINESS TRIP! Going to the main office to do some testing with people there. HUH! He flew on a plane on a business trip. Now I know this happens all the time. I made a few business trips myself in the past. And I certainly feel that both my boys are capable. But yikes! it just sort of hit me. And my youngest son? he is Student Teaching at a middle school. I saw him Tuesday night, he came to the camp meeting we had. He had come right from teaching, and still had on a button shirt. (I can probably count how many times he wore a button shirt in High School on my two hands) LOL Next year, God willing, he will be TEACHING High School. Wow, just WOW.

And I just heard from my Uncle back east. My aunt is having breathing problems, and is in ICU. Please include her in your prayers too.

Thank you so much for listening to me ramble on. Hugs everyone!!

Just a little more progress...

Well, as I suspected, I did not make as much progress as I wanted to on the valances. We had the Cub Scout Leader's meeting this evening at my house, so I needed to do a little picking up. Actually I think these little meetings are good for me. It forces me to not ignore my house. LOL!

Anyway, I did have a few hours free time before the meeting, but chose to watch the Cardinals/Eagles game. It was a great game, and the Eagles last play was something we had never seen before. (How many football players can the ball be passed to before the end of the down???)

Since the meeting ended, I have trimmed the valances, and prepared the binding. So, if I can find some time tomorrow, I will see what I can get finished. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can make some progress.

Tomorrow I also need to decide what to take to Phoenix on Tuesday. We will be having our first planning meeting for the 2009 Summer Camp season. This year we have added a lake, and will also be adding a mountain bike program. It should be a good summer. Aaaah, but what does my needing to decide what to take to Phoenix have to do with it??? Well, my DH has a couple other meetings, so we will be going down before noon, and I will have about 5 hours to entertain myself before the camp meeting. So what to do?? I can take my machine, but won't have a good place to do any quilting. So piecing is needed. Or hand work. And smaller projects are better, there really is not much space in the trailer. Yikes, I think I have to take one of the small folding tables down too. I don't trust the dining table to hold my machine, besides it is a booth, and not comfortable for sewing. Maybe I just need to do hand project(s). Well, I guess I'll figure it out tomorrow.

Hugs, and good night all!

On to something new...

I guess I just get bored too easily. My postcard fabric is coming along nicely, but have I worked on them for the last 2 days??? NO!! So what have I been doing you ask? Well, I have two doors off the living room of my house, one on each side. They both have large single pain windows in them (like a french door, but no wood dividing up the glass into little windows). Over a year ago, I made cover for each window, and then a valance to decorate the top. The covers are plain white, and my idea was I could make different valances to decorate. Well, I have a blue and yellow for just general, and a set for Christmas. But last year I started a set for Valentines Day. I got the hearts made, but that was as far as it went. Yesterday I got them out, and then had to look for the remaining fabric to see what I could bind them in.

Now I have to admit, I have torn apart my sewing room, changing how I organize it, and it is not back together yet. So it took a while to find the fabric I was looking for. (Yea, yea... I'll finish cleaning it one of these days!) Anyway, I found the fabric, and decided what I wanted to use for binding, but there was not enough of that fabric left. So I looked online, but decided to call the local shop where I had bought the fabric originally. This morning I made the call, and yes, they had the fabric. So I made the half hour trip to town, got the fabric, did some other stuff, and got home about 1pm. Then I decided to quilt the valances! So here they are - quilted.

And a close-up of one heart and quilting....

I'm not really happy with my quilting... to many little zigs instead of smooth gentle curves. (No, I didn't pick out that part!! LOL) But good enough. Tomorrow I hope to trim them up, make the binding and get it on, label and get the rings on so that I can hang them up!! Wonder if I can get all that done?? check back tomorrow

And yes, I will get back to my postcards, and the quilts for my nieces kids!

Hugs!

January Postcards...

Well, yesterday during my free time, I wandered around my sewing room, Just seeing what there was to do. For some reason, hearts came to mind, and I came up with a good idea for my February post cards. But this is January... hmm. So I browsed through my fabric and stumbled on to a very bright print, with a white background. It's circles, but reminds me of fireworks a little bit. OK, that will work for January. But I didn't want to do just plain fabric. Ahhh, I have a needle punch kit, and I even found it. So for the last 2 nights, I've been adding to the fabric, doing needle punch. One or two more evenings, and I'll be ready to turn the fabric into postcards.

And the other night I was flipping through a quilting magazine just before going to bed. I found the cutest throw, that has ginger bread men and peppermint candies on it. I had an "ah ha" moment, and thought "wouldn't that be cute for a shower curtain in the guest bath for Christmas". So as I laid in bed, trying to go to sleep, my mind kept thinking about the shower curtain... But Christmas just finished, and I really need a decorative shower curtain over the clear liner. So I should do something else for now... I bought fabric a while ago for a decorative shower curtain... Wonder if there is enough fabric to cover the liner? etc, etc... Needless to say, my mind would not let me get to sleep, or maybe it was stay asleep. But the next morning I got up, and YES, I can turn that fabric in to a shower curtain, with fabric to spare. So now I have another project I really want to do. If I do it plain, I can do it relatively quickly. And the fabric is really bright!!

Stay tuned. I hope to have a sewing weekend, as I've really not been sewing much this week.

Thanks for stopping by!!

I feel like a big weight has been lifted off....

OK, I do it to myself. Yesterday was the last "thing" I had to be ready to entertain for. I had the ladies in my service sorority over for our monthly meeting. I only do this one month a year, so I needed to have my house cleaned up. (You have to understand we LIVE in our house, and I've decided I'm just NOT a good housekeeper!! Don't get me wrong, you won't catch anything here, but stuff seems to accumulate, and I'd rather do something else than pick stuff up!!) Any way, I now can do "what I want". Hubby says he has work for me this afternoon, and I've spent the morning looking at blogs, and reading email.

Now what am I going to go do?? I've got so many ideas, I keep flitting from one to the other, and can't settle on anything. Guess I'll go sit in my sewing room, and see what happens!

Have a great day, and hope you too can find time to do what you want!!

Hugs!!

I need to say Thank You!

Over the last 2 months I have received several post cards from my post card group. In cleaning for the family over New Years, I "put them away" someplace, so don't have them to take pictures of right at the moment. I'm sure they are in my closet where all my sewing stuff goes when it needs to be "out of site". But so is everything else. After I clean the house this weekend, that stuff will be coming out, and I'll organize the closet some more. (Seems to be an endless task!! LOL) Anyway, enough excuses! I just wanted to say thank you to all who have sent me cards.

I've gotten several cards, and I'm pretty sure I got this idea from one of my post card swappers (not sure who, but read this in one of my brief checks on blogs in the last 2 months!) I've decided I'm going to get a scrapbook or photo album, and put all the great cards I've been getting into the album. They have been on my design wall, but are beginning to take up too much room :-) Not enough room for the quilts, and no room for more design wall! So a scrap book open on one of the chests in the room will be great. And I can have the newest cards on the design wall, and keep all the others to look at as I wish. Now to wait for a Michaels coupon to get my book! (If I stole this idea from you, thank you very much!)

It is January, and I've been thinking what I might want to do for my cards this month. Not sure yet. A new yarn shop opened up right next to my favorite quilt shop in Flagstaff. Maybe I'll do something with one of their really neat yarns. Makes me wish I new how to knit or crochet!! Hmmm, I should take pictures of their shop the next time I'm in there. (both shops, the quilt shop has a new location too!

I think I'll do that!

Hugs!

I'm Baaaaaack!!!

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I have posted on my blog. I'm sure everyone has just about given up on seeing anything new here. If you've made it back, thank you. So why have I been gone so long?? Just over busy and over stressed. No, no major issues or dilemmas in my life, I just have over committed myself. All are things that I want to do, just not enough time in the day.

So, Christmas - I had grand plans to make a whole bunch of things for Christmas, and I got about 1/3 of them done. Of course, I couldn't talk about them here before Christmas, and that is mostly what was on my mind. One of the coolest things I made was a portfolio for my sister-in-law. Of course I forgot to take any pictures!! Maybe she'll take a picture and send it to me so I can post it. I appliqued an oak leaf on the front, and embroidered her initials. On the inside was a tablet on the right, and on the left, a zipper pocket, 4 card pockets, and a large pocket at the top. Oh, it also has full size pockets from the center, under each side. And a loop for a pen. I was pretty please with how it turned out.

I made a woven-looking scarf for my sister, and dyed and pleated a silk scarf for my mother. And then for my niece's kids I started three kid sized quilts. These I did not get done, tho I did my best. I'm trying to get them finished in the next few weeks, and then I will mail them off. Pictures will be coming. I have a supply of silk scarves to make more scarfs, and some other great pattern that I'd like to do. Maybe I need to start now for next year??? LOL

For Christmas I added pine garland on top of all my kitchen cabinets, and added red bows, and pine cones for decoration. Of course I picked up pine cones from under the trees around the house. Most were really a nice large size. The down side to using pine cones from the outside is that about a week after bringing them in the house, I had a small infestation of little flying bugs!!! We don't spray for bugs, because my husband is sensitive to the spray, so I go on "hunting" session with a paper towel or Kleenex, and mush all of these that I can find. I still have them, but I hope to "do away" with all of them soon. (I hate bugs in my house!!) And why all the extra decorating? On New Year's day, we had "Family Christmas". 11 Adults, 3 kids, and 4 dogs kept things lively. We had a great time, even if it was noisy! :-)

And add to this that I'm now a Cub Scout Den Leader, and planning weekly den meetings, well, it keeps me busy.

I hope every one had a wonderful and safe New Year's eve/day, and that 2009 will be a great year for everyone.