DJ - Swapped blocks from Karen!!!

Hi There!

My friend, Karen and I, decided to swap
ten DJ (Dear Jane) blocks.

Since I didn't want to overload those
with dial-up connection,
I'll only show you 3 of her
precious blocks....

Here is:

C-8 (Hani's Crown)



Karen did ALL ten of her blocks,
by hand!!!!

This one is called:

E-11 (Wagon Wheel)

And here's the 3rd one, that I've uploaded
on my blog page:

B-9 (Tinker Toy)

Aren't these little girls, just ADORABLE!??!?!?

*VBG*

Sooooooo, get this!!!!

Not only did Karen send me TEN
drop-dead blocks,
but she included a few
Polka dot fabrics....

as a "Gifty"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've since used some of her fabrics,
for my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks.

Thanks Karen!!!!

Rosa

Anne's Lawn Chair

Hi there!

Okay, I might have mentioned this a couple times
and I KNOW I have it listed, on here,
on my "Wanna Do" list,
but Gilbert pulled the chair out of the baby barn...

THEN, he left in it my sewing studio,
for about 2 months.

Once in my studio,
I had folded up the chair
and it was leaning against a wall.

He even, bless his intentions (LOL),
pulled it out, AGAIN, opened it up
and had left it in the middle of my sewing studio!

That evening, when I got home from work and saw it, there,
I didn't say a word but folded it up, again,
and leaned it up against the wall... AGAIN!

LOL

Once in awhile, he would ask,
"Are you planning on starting this soon?

I would reply with a,
"Yep, some day soon."

At one point, he asked,
"Well, what's the next step?"

I told him that I needed to remove the old webbing.

"Well" he replied, "If that's all... I can do that!"
Which he promptly did, the very next day.

Chair stayed in my sewing studio,
for a couple days, after that, till he asked,
"Are you EVER going to be working on that chair?"

Well, this was Sunday - 2 days ago...
and my vacation was starting and I told him
that I would start... I PROMISED....
on Monday morning - that was yesterday...
and would he kindly help me.

Of COURSE he jumped at the chance!

LOL

See? I'm a TERRIBLE procrastinator and
Gilbert is a "Get-The-Job-Done-Right-Away" kind of guy....

Don't we make a GREAT couple?!??!?!

*VBG*

Just as long as he doesn't loose patience with me....

Okay, here's what you need to start with.

A lawn chair that is structurally sound,
clean and WITHOUT it's original webbing.



Then, you need 4 to 6 balls of nylon...
This is a tough call.
These balls are sold by the weight
and sometimes, they are cut too wide.
If you have the patience,
you can cut your nylon in 1/2.

For this chair, I didn't bother.

ALSO, you will need 2 BIG crochet hooks
that are STURDY!

Metal ones are the best
but most times, plastic's all you can find in the stores.

For the LONG lawn chairs, it's best if you have 2 people
working at it.

Here's Gilbert, as his end, with HIS crochet hook.

See? If he can do this... so can YOU!

And this is as far as we got, yesterday,
till I got fed up.

Once this chair is completed,
it is SOOOO soft, compared to those
yucky webbing strips...
you can make them in whatever colors,
you wish....
you can even make a "pattern" in your chair.

I have a book with all sorts of different patterns!

PLUS... and this is the part that I LOVE.....

These "re-covered" chairs last FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

(See the 2 crochet hooks on each side?)

That's about it, for now.

If any of you are interested in trying
to make your OWN chair, I can
try and do a tutorial on this....

Rosa

H2H (Heart 2 Heart) blocks and EBay

Hi There!

Well, remember the episode where
I was expecting 40 gorgeous Heart 2 Heart (H2H)
quilt blocks and I received McCall's patterns?!??

Well, no one stepped forward,
looking for their lost patterns,
so Gilbert and I decided to list them on EBay.

I thought I'd share with you the link,
in case you're interested.

*grin*

A5 size (6-8-10-12-14)



And this bundle is for the "bigger" size:

Size DD (12 to 18) and E5 (14 to 22)

Now, if you're interested,
you only have like 6 more days
to bid.

Rosa

Sunday Evening and MORE Sparkling Jane Blocks!!!

Hi there!

Okay, I had DEFINITE PLANS, today....

As I'm starting vacation (1 week),
I made a list of things that I wanted to...
"Get 'er Done!!!!"
(said in a Louis Armstrong rawl, BTW)

Here's my vacation web page:
June/July 2009 Vacation

Anyhow, remember I said I would be adding some
"Midget" Blocks, to this Christmas
Sparkling Jane quilt?

Well, here's Block #1 (Ohio Star)



Another one, in the Midget Block series:

Block # 14 (Gem Block)

And.... another one.....

Block #70 (Four Leaf Clover)

This one is...
Block #7 (At the Depot)

This one is:
Block #12 (Indiana Puzzle)

And, yes, I did some more sashing, too!

Never mind the LONG list of things that I wanted to do....
For some silly reason,
I'm really caught up with this one!

I have about 3 more pieces of sparkly fabric, to use and
my Aunt said she had some that she was going
to give me.

Sooooo.... hopefully I'll be able to make a
fair sized quilt, with this.

And who knows, eh?
I just might put it aside and
whenever I'm in a fabric shop.....
look for that special "sparkly" fabric!

*grin*

Rosa

Some more "Sparkling Jane" blocks... and some Midgets, too!

Hi There!

Yesterday, even though I wasn't feeling "top shape",
I managed to do (or finish)
4 more blocks.

This one is E-1 (Aunt Exie's Phlox)
from the Dear Jane blocks.



This one is J-11 (Twin Sister).
This one is a DJ block, also.

Now, this one is from the "Midget" block collections
and I honestly don't know which one it is.

If I find the block number, in the meantime,
I'll edit this post.

NOTE: This one is Number 8 (Tricolor Block):

And this one was block #87 (Tempting Tulip)
and I believe it's the last block
in the "Midget" block series.

And I managed to use a very pale blue
fabric with silver, shimmery Christmas trees,
as my background fabric.

I had warned you, that I wouldn't be using "just"
Dear Jane blocks, eh??!?

*VBG*

That's it, for now....

It's now Saturday morning and I'm STILL
sicker than a dog.... just not as bad as yesterday....

Thank you, Lord!!!

*s*

Rosa

The Flu

Hi there!

Here's a riddle for you:

What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?
For bird flu you need tweetment and for swine flu you need oinkment...

Okay, I've since caught a HORRIBLE "summer" cold.....
I mean, HONESTLY....
A winter cold s'bad enuff, but a
SUMMER COLD?!??!?

Anyhow, last Thursday Gilbert and I went to
our local "Value Village"
and as luck would have it,
I managed to pick up a bag of
black and red fabric with GOLD speckles, in it!!!

Normally, I HATE black fabric,
but I think this will "work" for me... *s*

Tonight, I started assembling the blocks that I have made,
so far.

And to try and end up with a bigger wall hanging...
or will it be a lap quilt(?), I decided to add
2 inch (cut) sashing.

As you can see, some of the blocks are still "unsashed"...

I was just too curious and impatient...

Wanna ta see what it would kinda look like.

*grin*

Not so bad, eh?!??

Rosa

Sparkling Jane - And yet another TWO!!!

Hi there!

Managed to do 2 more Dear Jane (DJ) blocks....

C-3 (Rayelle's Fence)...

I believe this fabric came from Elly.
*grin*



And this one came from Elly, also.

D-13 - Field of Dreams
or otherwise known as
the "Siggie" Block.

Ah-HAH!!!!

Did you figure out that I had inversed the
printed fabric with the background!?!?!?

Kewl, eh?

Well, it IS my quilt and this time,
if I feel like it, I'll be doing things
a bit different. *s*

And, to be honest, I'm thinking
of intermixing my DJ blocks
with "Midget" blocks!

And when I run out of
Christmassy "sparkly" fabrics...
Well, that's when I'll know that it's
time to start assembling this quilt!

How's that, eh?

*VBG*

Rosa

Surpise package from Diane!

Hi There!

Today, I received a surprise enveloppe,
from my friend Diane!

I just LOVE the way that Diane
played around with the fabrics
and came up with matching
combinaitions!!!!

This one is called:
B-10 (Jud's Trophy)



And this one is called:
C-13 (Lakota Sioux)

Oooops, I forgot to mention that Diane did these
ALL by hand!!!!

B-10 - that's the yellow one.... has
TWENTY-NINE PIECES to it

And C-13 - that's the blue...
It has............
TWENTY-FIVE PIECES to it!!!!

Incredible, eh?!??!?!

Thanks Diane!!!

Rosa

Sparkling Jane - 2 more!!

Hi there!

Okay.....

Two more "Sparkling Jane" blocks...

This one is called A-4 (Courtney's Stethoscope),
and it's actually made with a GORGEOUS,
deep green fabric, with gold polka dots.

Unfortunately, the camera person ain't the best!


(Pssssst..... Okay, ALREADY! I KNOW I'm missing the corner posts...
but it's MY Christmas Jane quilt!!!! *grin*)

This one is B-4 (Chris's Soccer Field)
and the colors came out a wee bit better,
in this pic.

*grin*

These fabrics come from Cyn's Christmas tree and
I managed to do these two, this evening.

Rosa

Cruise Ships X 2 !!!

Hi There!

Well, today, we had TWO (2) cruise ships,
in our harbour!!!

When I came home at dinner -
that's our noon-time meal,
I grabbed my camera
and took a couple shots.

These 2 pictures were
taken from my parking lot,
at work.

Here's a picture of BOTH ships...




And here's a closeup picture
of the 2 cruise ships...



This one, was taken from the pedway,
that's in the building... where I work.

Hope this encourages you to visit me and my city!!!

Rosa

Princess Sophia's Apron

Hi There!

Well, since Doc Flo has prescribed no more "rotary cutting", for a few days,
I remembered that I had this sewing panel, to make a crafty apron
and that it didn't require any rotary cutting.

Easy smeasy, right?
Well, since I haven't sewn any "clothes" in over 25 years,
I was litterally petrified and almost didn't try to make this!

LOL



I mean.... HONESTLY!!!
it was all pre-drawn and the instructions were right there, to read!

*grin*

Well, I dug into it and I think it turned out
pretty darn good, if I do say so, me-self!

The picture (down below) that I took,
shows the 3 pockets.

Anyhow, I had gotten this panel EONS ago,
and had put it in one of my totes....
for a "someday" project.

It was supposed to be for my OTHER niece...
"Miss Em"

But now, Miss Em is 7 years old
and is waaaay too old for this apron.

This picture, shows the "back" of the apron.

Well, along comes my 2nd niece!!!
I call her....

"Princess Sophia".

We're supposed to get together, at our parents' house,
this evening... for a girls' get together.

I plan on giving this to Princess Sophia,
this evening.

Rosa

DJ - And yet 2 more Christmas Blocks!!

Hi There!

Well, I finally found a few minutes
to sit down and upload these pictures....

I managed to do TWO Dear Jane (DJ) blocks,
this week.

Here's A-2, AKA One-Two, Buckle My Shoe.
This fabric was generously donated
by my friend Elly....



And this block is called:
A-9 = Cabin Fever.

Okaaaaaay, to you expert Janiacs (that a Dear Janer)....

YEP! it's not "quite" the same, as the original block...
I've added my own little "twist" to this block.
(Actually, I screwed up and my arm hurt too much, to fix it up... LOL)

Once again, it was another lovely piece of fabric
that Elly had sent to me. *grin*

Now, HERE'S an interesting item!

Remember this beautiful Christmas tree???
Cyn had sent this to me, in December?

Well, Thursday, as I was "shopping" again,
in my tote containers and looking for something else,
I came across this.

Ever get a gift that's just TOO cute to use?!?!?

Well, this was one of them!
And, as I always do...
I put the "thing" aside, for a few days, weeks, months or years even....
till I get fed up and say, "HEY! I'm gonna USE this thing!"

Well HELLOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess what?!??!???

Her fabric has gold threads ALL OVER!!!!
'Cept for the tree trunk, of course...
and THAT gorgeous brown will probably
be used in some other project....
down the road.

*grin*

Soooo, Cyn's tree fabric has joined my big zip-lock,
with Elly's fabrics....

And when my arm gets better,
I'll be making some MORE Dear Jane blocks!

Hmmmm.. although, I suppose I COULD cut up some fabric,
with scissors, and do some that are appliquéd, right?!??

LOL

Actually, I've got a couple little "hand" thingies
to do and then, YES... I'll probably prep some more
DJ blocks, for evening work.

Later gators!

Rosa

The Early Bird Gets the Worm - Revised Time

Hi There!

As I sit at my keyboard, at 4h37 a.m., I realize that I need to revise those "times", from my previous blog.

:-(

Okay, birds aren't up at 3h32 a.m..... but they ARE up at 4h01 a.m.!
(don't ask... don't even GO THERE!)

*yawn*

Actually, I figured this was better than laying in bed, turning round and round and round....

I'll probably start to get REALLY tired, hit the sack for a few winks..... just when Gilbert's ready to get up! Ain't that always the way?!??!

Gotta locate my last 2 DJ blocks and upload them, ASAP...

Rosa

Doc Flo's Advice

Hi there!

Here's a joke for you....

****************************

A blonde goes to the emergency room convinced she has a terminal disease.

"Everywhere I touch myself I am in severe pain."

"Show me," the doctor requests, and she complies.
She touches herself, here and there,
and cries from the pain!

"Ahhh I see, you've got a broken finger.",
the doctor replies.

****************************

Okay, since I've come down with the sore arm and thumb,

I've been taking the anti-inflammatory pills - at need.

In the meantime, I've finally figured out

the "why, where and how come",

of my pain, much to my chagrin....

I've been using a LOT of pressure
on my ruler and on my thumb.....
(you gals sitting down?!??)
..... when I'm cutting fabric !!!!!

*long and LOUD groan*

What's a quilter to do, eh?

I've managed to convince Gilbert
that he can cut the fabric, for me.
He agreed.

But then, I explained to him the concept of
paper piecing and at that point,
he politely declined his offer.

Then, I wrote to my good pal....
let's just say that she's in the
"Health Care Business"....
I've been calling her, "Doc Flo".

Explained the situation and she....
much to my chagrin,
said it's best to let my arm
rest for 8 to 10 days and
to continue with those darn pills!

*another long sigh*

Sooooo, before she gave me the bad news,
I had managed to finish 2 more
Christmas Dear Jane (DJ) blocks.

Will get them re-sized and blog
about them, in a bit.

Rosa
*who's been trying to find some OTHER sewing projects,
that don't require a blade or ruler*

The Early Bird Catches the Worm

Hi there!

I'm sure that most of you have heard that expression....
You know?
The Early Bird Catches the Worm.

But, have you ever stopped and wondered,
at what time that actually occurred?
Was it 6 a.m.? or perhaps 7h30?

Well, I can tell you, without a SHADOW OF A DOUBT,
that the "Early" Bird is NOT AWAKE at 2h34 a.m......
and that he DOES wake up, at approx. 4h42 a.m.!!!!

Yep! that's almost FIVE in the morning!!!!

*long sigh*

Don't ask... trust me, I know!!!

Darn pre-menopause and night sweats and
waking up at all hours of the night!!!
*mutters to herself*

"Men"opause has the word "men" in it...
you'd think they'd at LEAST get to enjoy this, too, right?!??! LOL

Anyhow, next time that someone says "The Early Bird Catches the Worm",
look them straight in the eyes and
ask them if they know when EXACTLY that is....
LOL

You've now got the answer - it's 4h42 a.m. !!!!

Hope you ALL get to sleep through
the Early Bird's worm hunting session!

*grin*

Rosa

Saturday Morning - Yard Sailing!!!

Hi there!

Well, yesterday evening, Gilbert did a bit of research
and found a web site that listed some local
garage sales, for Saturday.

Soooooo, this morning we headed out to
do some "Yard Sailing".

Gilbert wasn't lucky, but I managed
to nab a quilting book,
by Carol Doak, even!

*VBG*



It must have been written before the internet....

I couldn't find anything in there that mentioned
web sites and web addresses and such.

But, when I glanced at it briefly,
I realized that it was a PRICELESS BOOK....

for only 2 bucks!!!!!

One of the flea markets, was "Up Town".

Now, we've always called our city center "Up" town....

I was always told it was because our city is so "hilly" -
supposedly comparable to San Francisco and
that the city center (here) is actually UP town.

Anyhow, I digress... once again.... *grin*

On our way to one of the flea markets, UP town,
I passed by a street and caught this site!

Figured that I might as well grab a shot,
for my friend Elaine and her hubby!

Notice how steep our streets are?!?!?

And those boats sure are huge, eh?!??!

LOL

Countin' the days till Elaine's visit, in October!!!

Rosa

BOM - House # 5

Hi there!

S'me again....

I have a LOT of new thingies and pictures
to share with you all!

Here's the lastest "house" block,
from the BOM (houses)
that I've been doing.

It's a (FREE) pattern on the net,
called....

"Come Over to My House"



I know it looks crooked, but it really isn't and
to be honest... I believe it's my favoritest one,
so far!

*VBG*

Rosa

DJ - 2 more Christmas Blocks!!

Hi There!

I've been (slowly) working on my
Dear Jane Christmas Blocks.

This one, D-3 (Jason's Jacks)
has been finished for over a week now.



This one, A-8 (Florence Nightingale)
was started and finished, this evening.
Gilbert said that it probably took me 1/2 an hour!

LOL

Anyhow, this green fabric was part of Elly's gifty...

Gosh - Elly's been gone for like ... aaaaah..... FORE-EVE-HER...

and I miss her to pieces!!!

(Actually, she's on a 3 week vacation and should be back soon...)

AND, I recently gave my friend, Elaine,
the title of "Florence Nightingale"....

Long story.... but it's just to tell you that
friendships get inter twined, at times...

Hence the reason why I did this block!

*VBG*

Rosa

Ranette's Birthday Contest!!!!

Hi there!

Just a quick note to tell you that my friend, Ranette.... has a contest going on!

Quick! Can't remember when it finishes, but you'd better hurry on over, and post a "comment"!!!

Who knows, eh?

Ya just might win!

*grin*

Rosa

Cruise Ships and Summer/Fall Visitors!!!

Hi There!

I spoke with my friend, Diane, yesterday evening,
and there's a STRONG possibility that
she'll be visiting my province,
NEXT MONTH!

She's looking for a nice, warm, salty beaches....
There's a nice one 'bout an hour's drive away.

I'll go meet up with her, once she gets here!

ANOTHER good friend, Elaine and her hubby,
will be getting aboard a cruise ship,
in October and arriving in my city,
for a day visit!!!!

And today, we had our FIRST cruise ship!

Of course, I thought of Elaine!!!!




Took these pictures, just outside of my work
parking lot, this evening.

Here's the cruise ship schedule....

Our city has a LOT of cruise ships,
coming in, from June till October....

Many cruise ships mean many visitors.
Many visitors mean many jobs and
much revenue - of course. *grin*

Here's the Port of Saint John
web site.

If ever you decide to take a cruise....
come to my little corner of the world -
give me a hollar, 'k?

*grin*

Rosa

Where Did My Toes Go?!?!??!

Hi there!

Gilbert and I quit smoking -
and HOPEFULLY for GOOD,
this time... 'bout 3 months ago.

Now, one might argue that it's
healthier to quit smoking
and be overweight....
and as much as I'd like to
blame this weight issue
on the fact that we quit smoking,
I think it's about time that
I rest the blame on my
own, fat, chubby shoulders....

And, to be honest,
I'm starting to hate my new "shape"!




This too, would be a wonderful wish to make...
but it sure as heck wouldn't help my:
sore knees,
disappearing toes,
high blood pressure,
eating everything that isn't nailed down,
clothes that have mysteriously "shrunk",
etc, etc, etc.

Are you getting the picture?!??!

And, at my height, I've always said that
when you loose 5 pounds... it shows.
But when you gain 5 pounds - look out...
it shows, too!!!!

Anyhow.... long story short....

Gilbert is getting fed up with these
new numbers that show up
on our bathroom scale!

He's yanked out our bicycles, oiled them
and pumped up the tires.

Yesterday, I did 15 minutes of biking
and thought I was gonna DIE!!!

Wish me luck!
Hoping to change my way of thinking -
that might change my weigh of thinking, too!
(Okay.. that was a stupid punn... I agree! LOL)

Sunday afternoon...

still got some "to do"
thinks to do.

Rosa