Rosa's World

Braggin' Buys - Re-Purpose and Re-Use!

2012-01-30T19:24:00.004-04:00

Hi There!

A couple summers ago, Gilbert and I went to a (small) yard sale and I spotted this candy/cookie jar, for 2 bucks, I believe.

Anyhow, I bought it and Gilbert wanted to know what I'd do with it since it's fairly big and we really don't need to fill this sucker up with candy nor cookies!

I told him I would put my thread in it.

And I did!

And I LOVE IT!

You can see what threads are there and I can easily remove the cover and stick my hand in there!

So, I went to our local "Bulk Barn" and picked up several more smaller sizes.

And I still LOVE this idea!

I try to keep my thread all in one place and this helps.

Remember the Snow People swap block that I did, before Christmas?

Remember this pattern, that I bought from our local quilt designer and teacher, Gerri Richards, from Cool Cat Designs?

Well, this evening, I started working on these 2 Snow People. Hmmm.. I "was" going to put this block in the center of the quilt but now I'm thinking....

"Gosh, this might look better at the top left or right hand corner, eh?"

We shall see...

Right now, it's just fused down and I've embroidered their bodies and 1 piece of scarf. I'll try and do as much by machine as possible... but will do the smaller, intricate pieces by hand.

Will keep you updated on pics and such.

Rosa

Table Topper Basket Quilt - Last Pics

2012-01-29T20:14:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

Okay, this is the last time I post about this table topper.... I don't want to make it sound like I'm tooting my own horn but GOSH DARN... it's been awhile since I made this and with Gilbert, Bertha (our Longarm machine) and their magic.... I'm completely jaw-dropped at how this turned out!

Yes, I still need to do the binding - that's what I'll be doing this week.

Thanks for following me on my blog!

Rosa

Hannah and Harrington

2012-01-29T19:49:00.006-04:00

Started working on my block this week... But I need to bind my table topper, first..

Have a great week!

Rosa

Last Week's Surprises...

2012-01-29T08:53:00.005-04:00

Hi There!

Last week, I received an incredible gifty
from one of my internet friends....

Bonnie Hunter was in her area,
a couple weeks ago
and my friend send me her book....
the one that I was (coincidentally) missing!

I've read most of it and would you believe,
there's already drool marks on the pages?!?!?

LOL

LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

And then, to make this even MORE precious -
she even got Bonnie Hunter, HERSELF, to autograph MY book!!!

And to increase the value of the book by 100% and more....

My FRIEND signed it, too!!!!

*VBG*

That's like getting 3 bonuses!!!!
Great book.
Bonnie Hunter's autograph.
My friend's autograph.

Cyn also included a cute, red heart
that she crocheted and 2 cute cards....
the icing on the cake, as they say!

*VBG*

Thanks my friend!!!!

My second surprise arrived yesterday, via email.

Another good friend bought me
the latest Inklingo collection,
"Rose Dream"....
in the 3 sizes!!!

And although all of the the examples
Linda Franz has on her blog are incredible,
this one seemed to have the "WOW" factor, for me.

The first one that she has posted on here....

Even Gilbert was impressed, I believe....
although he kept asking me,
"Yah, but what size do these quilts finish at?"

I told him,
"Whatever size you want. You don't need to do the whole thing. Or, you can make it bigger. Besides, I now have all THREE size shapes. I, myself, can decide how big I want it."

Seriously, though...
I'm looking for a "WOW" kitchen table topper.

I think this will be the one.

*grin*

Have a great Sunday!

Rosa

Workin' on UFO's!!!

2012-01-27T21:13:00.005-04:00

Hi There!

I pieced this cute table topper last year and Gilbert quilted it, today.

My jaw actually DROPPED when I saw what he and Bertha (our Longarm Gammill) did!

Small meandering as a filler.

And a beautiful flower, as a medaillion...

It now needs to be trimmed and bound.

UPDATE:
My buddettes just told me
that this is an OCTAGON shape.
Couldn't remember that one,
from school.
LOL

Since my Orca Bay Mystery Quilt top is finished, I pulled out and finished my "Easy Peasy" quilt.

I had first thought I'd make a Queen size quilt but then, changed my mind. I made a lap quilt and added a few extra strips and blocks around the quilt... as a border.

The quilt is actually more in these colors....
light yellows, burgundies and greens.

Next on my list?

My "Snow People" quilt, from last December's swapped blocks!

Have a great weekend!

Rosa

What's Better Than Winning a Give-A-Way?!??

2012-01-22T16:35:00.003-04:00

Hi there!

What's better than winning a blog Give-A-Way?!?!?

When you have NO IDEA what you've won
and it arrives in your mailbox!!!

*VBG*

About 2 weeks ago, Prairie Moon Quilts
advised me that I had won a prize.

ZOWEE!

Did I ask her what it was?

Noooooo....

Was I worried about it?

Nooooooo.....

Shelly, at Prairie Moon Quilts is a
really, REALLY nice lady....
and I LOVE following her, on her blog!

I have been at the receiving end of
her generosity before and this time,
once again, she did not disappoint me!

*VBG*

Well, Thursday, I received a big white envelope,
from Texas!!!

I won a fascinating pattern book with TONS of ideas,
2 lovely-to-touch fat quarters....

AND, I jumped up and down
in my chair for THIS gift!!!!

She had blogged about this chap stick
and I was drooling all over my keyboard,
wishing that I could have one....

It reads...

WANTED
Dead or Alive
__________
Prairie Puckers
Cherry
Corral

It has a cute cowgirl on the label, as well!

And look what it says, besides the cowgirl....

"Wet Yer Whistle"

LOL

These chapsticks are from:
Lonestar Wax Works

And, as usual, Shelly included her
signature "Thank You" card...

Thanks a bunch, Shelly!

Rosa

A New BOM - I've Been Smitten!

2012-01-22T10:25:00.007-04:00

Hi There!

One of the blogs that I follow happened to mention this link and after visiting and re-visiting and RE-RE-visiting it once again, I fell in love with these rabbits!

The Raspberry Rabbits....

(picture from their blog)

A couple of my internet friends mentioned that they've never, ever appliquéd with wool before, wanted to try it but were hesitant.

I'm not a complete expert on wool but I will certainly share what little knowledge that I DO have.

Here goes...

* * * * * PRE-FELTED WOOL * * * * *

Before you appliqué with wool, you need to make sure that it was "pre-felted".

"How do you "pre-felt" wool?", you ask.

Simple - it needs to be "shocked".

Wash it with a small amount of detergent and HOT water - NO BLEACH!! (I'll explain about the "no bleach" thing, later).

Rince it with COLD water.

Dry your piece of wool in a HOT dryer.

Not only does it fluff up your piece of wool, but it prepares it so that you can now appliqué your wool and know, for sure, that you'll never need to worry about it shrinking. You will be able to use and wash your quilt... just like you would a cotton quilt.

Oh.... if you buy "hand dyed" wool, it's already been pre-felted.... Although you might want to pre-felt it, anyhow.

* * * * NO BLEACH, PLEASE * * * * *

When I first started rug hooking, with this wool, our local shop owner told me the BEST way to find out if your "wool" is 100% pure is to take a glass and fill it with 1/4 inch of "bleach", only. Add a little snippet of your wool to this and let it sit overnight.

Gilbert and I did this - we're both "Doubting Thomases"....

The next morning, there was NOTHING left in the glass. The snippet of wool and COMPLETELY disappeared, just like the shop owner had told us.

Soooooo, basically, wool and bleach DO NOT MIX well.

* * * * RE-PURPOSED WOOL * * * * *

There's a "Frenchys" just up the hill from where I live. It's a "used" clothing and item store. This Frenchys put "wool" items in a bin for rug hookers. The same kind of wool can be re-used for appliquéing, as well. When you're re-purposing wool from clothing, you need to carefully read the label. This being said, you might not be too concerned if it's 80% wool and 20% polyester. Perhaps it's the EXACT color you've been looking for and your finished piece will go as a wall hanging and you're "okay" with this. You ARE the designer after all, right?

If you DO bring home a piece from a used clothing store, put in DIRECTLY in your washer and WASH IT RIGHT AWAY!!! Do not pass "GO"!

There's a very slim chance that this item might have moth eggs in it. HOT WATER and soap will kill moths and their eggs. You don't want to mix your 2nd hand wool items with your "new" wool pieces, right?

Another bit of advice?
Try to put some fresh lavender, tucked into your wool stash. Apparently, moths HATE lavender! And its a much better smelling option than "moth balls", right?

The nice thing about wool appliqué is that you don't need to worry about your 1/4" seam allowance and turn it under. Wool doesn't fray like cotton. You just do your blanket stitch or your running stitch! Saves time and energy.

To appliqué, all's you do is trace your pattern on "Heat 'n Bond" or any similar product. Iron it on your piece of wool. Cut around the ironed on piece of Heat 'n Bond, peal off your backing and re-iron it onto your quilt block....

Then appliqué. Easy.

IMPORTANT UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!
(3 hours later....)

I went and picked up that piece of "Oatmeal" colored wool and while chit-chatting with the shop owner, she told me that she uses freezer paper to trace her design, iron it on the wool, cut out the pattern, peel OFF the freezer paper and then, she uses a LOT of pins to pin down her design. She says your needle doesn't have to go through the "glue" (AKA Heat 'n Bond or other similar product). It's easier on the hand, wrist and fingers PLUS it's more pleasing to the eyes. I've prepped my pieces for the 1st BOM with Lite Heat 'n Bond 'cept for the bunnies.

I think I'll try her technique for the bunnies and let you know what I think of this technique.

Personally, I LOVE the 3 dimensional feel to wool appliqué.
My fingers love to caress it!
What can I say - I'm nuts!

LOL

That's about it!

Hope you join in with this BOM!

If you do, write and send me an update....
I'll be heading off, in this cold, this afternoon, for my "oatmeal" wool. My local wool store has a chunk pre-cut for me!*

Have a Super Sunday!

Rosa

Funky Chickens and Baby Bow Ties

2012-01-21T21:47:00.006-04:00

Hi There!

Remember last spring, when I shared a picture of my "Funky Chickens", that I has finished hooking?

Well, Gilbert asked me how I wanted to hang this piece and I told him that I envisioned an old, wooden frame and chicken wire... to give it a chicken coop "feel".

Well, we couldn't find aged wood, so Gilbert made the frame and we hung the frame up on our upstairs deck... to "age".

It took about 8 months of sunshine, cloudy days, rain and snow to finally "age" the wood to a nice grey.

Then, Gilbert and I added chicken coop wire to the bottom half.

I think it gives it a modern yet old look.

What do you think?

And since I'm slowly trying to change the theme in my kitchen to roosters, chickens and such.... I thought this was the proper place to put this.

*grin*

Another "UFO" (Un-Finished-Object) out of the way!

Remember this past summer? When everyone and their dog seemed to be making Bow Tie Quilts?

Well, recently Gilbert found some time to quilt this for me.

Just this past Thursday, I finished the binding on it.

I told Gilbert to knock himself silly with this one....
to quilt whatever he wanted....
to practice a new technique, even....

Well, he did just that - he practiced a new technique.

Done by free hand....

"Wiggle Waves"

And today, we finally broke OUT OF THE HOUSE and went on a day trip to Moncton. Moncton's about 2 hours drive from here and the city 's got lots of neat restaurants and stores!

We had lunch at St-Hubert Barbecue.

LOVE their chicken!!!!

And Moncton's got my youngest son, now.

He moved to Moncton during the first of the year and I wanted to visit him...
Okay, okay, okay, I wanted to check up on him, too!

LOL

He's fine, he's happy and he'll survive.
That's all a Mom can wish for, eh?

*s*

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Rosa

Last UFO for 2011 !!!

2012-01-19T21:41:00.007-04:00

Hi There!

After work, today,I headed off to post a parcel to my friend in The Netherlands and then, to the grocery store to pick up a couple items.

Came across this fruit, called a "Dragon Fruit".

Have any of you ever tried this?

Well, the Produce Manager happened to be walking by and I asked him if I could try a piece. Did you know that you could do that? Well, here in Canada you can!

*grin*

I mean.... how are you going to buy something if you don't know what it tastes like, right?

Once I got home, Gilbert was so intrigued with this fruit, that he had to take a picture!

The texture is like a real soft apple. The taste is very subtle.

Here's the LAST quilt that I finished off, in 2011,
thanks to Prairie Moons "2011 Final Countdown Challenge"!

This was a 2 year Birthday Siggie (Signature) Block Swap and I managed to put it all together, Gilbert quilted it and I did the binding and it stayed on a shelf for several months.

"Why?", you ask.

Because if it doesn't have a label on the back, it ain't finished.... in my books, anyhow.

I finally made up the label and sewed it on ....
on the 31st of December, 2011...
I finally sewed on the label to this quilt!

YEAH!!!!....
another UFO outta the way!

One more day and then, it's the weekend!!!

Have a Fantastic Friday, Folks!

Rosa

First UFO of the Year!!!

2012-01-15T08:33:00.010-04:00

Hi There!

Friday evening, Gilbert and I started a batch of "No Knead Bread". A few months ago, we had made a batch, I took pictures and forgot to share them with you. So, here are the pictures from the last batch of bread.... which are basically the same as Friday night's batch.

Recipe

and YouTube Video

You mix your 4 ingredients in a bowl, with a fork.

After 11 or more hours of resting, you roll and fold 2 or 3 times and place in a heavily floured tea towel. Let rest some more.

Cook in a heavy cast iron pot in high heat.

Slice and enjoy!

NOTE: Our "Miche" (or bread loaf) was cooked yesterday evening.

Friday evening, we decided to make a Sharlotka. I had read a blog or two, recently where the bloggers had made one and I REALLY wanted to try this out.

It was good... not excellent but good. And as the bloggers had written, this cake or pie certainly wasn't too sweet - the granny smith apples were a bit tart and the cake part wasn't too, too sweet. Just the right combination, I guess.

This is what it looks like, sliced.

Last February, while in Florida, my friend Frummie asked if I wanted to of her floor rugs, made out of pure wool. Her cute little fur babies had played with them and both rugs now had a few "bald" spots. *grin*

Frummie knew that I like to try and find the time to hook rugs...

Well, yesterday evening, I finally found the time and fixed one of them. It's now one the side of our downstairs bathtub.... as a decorative piece. *s*

These pictures look green but the rug's more blue and ivory.

Is spring just around the corner?

Even though it's only January,
I honestly HOPE it's just around the corner!

LOL

Right now, we're in the midst of a cool spell.

Minus 15 Cel.
or, if you prefer,
4 Farhenheit...

Bundle up... keep warm...

Rosa

Another Weekend Update

2012-01-10T19:05:00.004-04:00

Hi There!

By Sunday afternoon, I had watched the final episode of Season 2 of "The Big C" on Net Flix, bawled my eyes out, blew my nose, straightened out my shoulders and decided to watch a new episode - "Drop Dead Diva". Not as emotionally touching - slightly humorous and entertaining, nevertheless.

And, I continued to piece my "Orca Bay Mystery" blocks together.

You know, folks.... I gotta admit.

For me, this is the most ... *insert a yawn* ... boring part about making quilts... IMHO.

Sunday evening, I yanked out my 9 dollar purchased-at-a-yard-sale-this-summer featherweight and Gilbert and I .... but mostly Gilbert.... oiled it, tested it and....

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!

It's got a beautiful stitch and it purrs like a kitten!!!

That's about it.

Hang in there....

Friday's coming....

(your Funny Pic for the day)

Rosa

Looking Back on 2011...

2012-01-08T08:52:00.006-04:00

Hi There!

Yesterday, Gilbert and I left the house early to do a few errands...

We needed:
photocopies done,
pick up a few last supplies for the Cat Tree that Gilbert's making,
a wooden ruler and some rick-rack for Valentines chair covers that I want to make,
go see our Internet and Cell phone provider for a possible update on Gilbert's cell phone,
pick up a 2012 kitchen calendar,
and a whole bunch of other things...

Around noon time, we decided to go eat at Montana's.

Gilbert had the Veggie Burger (top part of the picture) and I had the chicken 'n ribs. Of course I brought a "doggie bag" back home!

It was DELISH!!!

Gilbert's cell phone provider was able to upgrade his phone to the new iPhone 4.... and a white one, at that!!!

While leaving the mall, I spotted a pay phone and we decided to take a couple pictures, with it!

*VBG*

What a difference in phone size, eh?!??!

LOL

And, this morning, Gilbert got to "trying" to finish the Cat Tree House. "Frankie" has already taken up residence!

Gilbert has difficulty finishing it, as Frankie wants/needs some affection!

LOL

Actually, she's been near me when I'm trying to quilt and she can be VERY INSISTENT!!!

Yes, she's cute!

Let me explain a couple things....

HE was a stray that we had adopted and named Frankie Blue Eyes, for Frank Sinatra.

This past week, I found out that HE was actually a SHE!

Oh well, I guess she's now actually Frankie, short for "Francine".

LOL

Once again, I'm slowly removing the list of quilts or projects that I accomplished in 2011 from my blog and entering them on my main web page.

See the left hand side? Scroll to the bottom and you'll get to 2011. Keep in mind that I'm adding more quilts, ASAP.

It's now 9h30, Sunday morning and I've got a TON of things to do today!

Have a great Sunday!

Rosa

Orca Bay - Take 8-1/2

2012-01-06T21:00:00.005-04:00

Hi There!

Right after work, today, Gilbert and I decided to go out and return a recent purchase. In the meantime, we needed to upgrade our kitchen telephone.

These 4 cuties came in a box and were begging to come home with us, even!

LOL

And.... I wanted to share with you my progress on my Orca Bay Mystery Quilt.

Yesterday evening's picture...

Since I already have a lap quilt, I asked Gilbert if he wanted this one, as HIS lap quilt. Well, I didn't have to ask him twice!

LOL

He even advised me that he wants "minky" on the back of the quilt and "puffy" batting.... which means, high loft polyester.

And, of course, he'll be doing the Longarm quilting on it, as well...

Will keep you all posted on Gilbert's quilt...

Rosa

Out With 2011 - In With 2012

2012-01-05T21:18:00.004-04:00

Hi There!

Found a couple cute cartoons,
representing the new and upcoming year...

Another year washes away...

I like this prayer....

Have any of you heard that THIS is the year that the world will end, according to the Aztec calendar?

And here's ...

"Back To the Future"

I've been busy working and sewing.

Gilbert.... THANKFULLY..... put away our Christmas decorations!

I think, after 11 years, he knows better - If it was left to me, they'd probably STILL be sprawled all over the house at Easter!

LOL

Wishing you all
a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

Rosa

High Five.... Day 2 and 3 DONE !!!

2011-12-31T22:51:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

VOILA!!!!

Prairie Moon Quilts
"2011 Final Countdown" Contest

Day 2 ... we were supposed to look around in our sewing space and find a UFO and work on it. This blouse was on the back of my sewing chair for over a week and I KNOW it would have been there for a month or more, if Shelly and her blog contest hadn't encouraged me!

*VBG*

Today, I repaired that seam that needed to be re-sewn and this evening, I sewed 2 missing buttons on it.

Ready to wear for work, next week!

Day 3....

We were to pull out ANOTHER UFO and fall in love with it, again... and work on it.

This birthday Siggie quilt was "quilted" in May.... This evening, thanks to Shelly, from Prairie Moon Quilts, I FINALLY decided to sew the label on this quilt. Good thing, too! My birthday's in February and I'd like to sleep underneath it, FINALLY!

Well, my last blog for this year.

Please come back, next year...

Rosa

New Year's Eve Status Update... (photo heavy)

2011-12-31T20:03:00.009-04:00

Hi There!

In following Shelly's blog contest, this morning, I decided to dig out my white bins from our packed boxes. I needed these bins as that's how I organize my scraps.

2-1/-2 inch strips are put into a bin, according to color. If they're smaller, I cut them into 1-1/4 inch strips, for my "Lego Block" quilt blocks. They go into a zip lock bag. Smaller than that, they go in the garbage. *grin*

And... as they say, sometimes things have to get messy before they get tidied up!

I also cleared up my design wall. You an see that I've received quite a few Snow People, in our block swap. The tiny blue background one is a block that I had made, a couple years ago.

Looking tidy already!

Thanks Shelly!

Book shelf looks tidy, as well!

Remember this spot, with the pile of fabric straps, yesterday?!?!?

Well, with the previous pile of scrap, I was able to cut some into 2-1/2 inch strips, for my white bins...

And since I had small strips, I cut them into 1-1/4 inch .... more "blocks" for my Lego quilt!

And since Day 3, we were supposed to pull out a UFO and fall in love, again.... I found these 3 un-pieced 30's blocks and pieced them.... and, I then pieced some wonky blocks with the leftovers mini scraps from the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt.

These blocks will go into my future "Orphan Blocks" quilt.

And while I was cleaning (AKA playing), Gilbert was working on the "Cat Tree House".

Once again, Minou, decided that the carpet scraps, for now, are more comfortable.

*grin*

Here's where he's at, with his creation....

And remember how we're supposed to pull out a UFO, and love it, once again?

Well, I pulled out my "Birthday Siggie Quilt". Gilbert quilted it and I put the binding on it... and then, it languished on a shelf, in my studio.

A quilt's not finished, IMHO, unless it has it's label on the back. This afternoon, I finally got some muslin out and wrote what I wanted.

Why I didn't do it sooner - God only knows!
But tonight, I will be sewing it on.

(a close up picture of Gilbert's quilting)

I'll share a picture, tomorrow.

And since it's New Year's Eve, Gilbert and I decided to stay home and eat a nice meal with a great bottle of wine.

Gilbert took a picture of me, with his iPhone and used the "WordFoto" program.

And that's about it.

We're upstairs in our little office, watching TV and I'm blogging.

I'll be sewing new buttons on my lime green blouse and afterwards, adding that label on my quilt.

We'll "try" and stay awake until midnight...

Exciting, eh?!?!?

*grin*

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! ! !

Rosa

(warned you that there'd be lots of pictures!)

Oh YAH... I forgot to mention that a designer friend of mine, Gerri Richards, has an incredible blog contest.... you only need to become a follower and post a comment about your favorite Christmas gift...

Cool Cats and Quilts

Orca Bay - Take 6

2011-12-30T20:03:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

Well, by late afternoon,
I finally assembled all of Part 6,
to the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt!

I managed to straighten out, a bit, my sewing room and will continue tomorrow.... in hopes to share pictures of a much improved Quilt Studio and finishing Step 1 to the Prairie Moon 2011 Final Countdown.

Step 2 - Is to finish off a UFO.

I have my favorite green lime blouse, downstairs, that needs new buttons and a seam that needs sewn. No, it's not a quilty thing but if if wasn't for this challenge, this blouse would probably STILL be languishing there, this time... next year!

Soooooo, tomorrow, I don't need to go out and do errands. I will be...
a) cleaning out my studio and taking pictures.
b) fixing up my blouse
c) working on my Orca Bay Mystery blocks.

Oh.... here's what I've got done, so far...
(this is Part 6)

28 "black" blocks and
28 "white" blocks.

Hope you all have a Fantastic Friday!

Rosa

Prairie Moon's "2011 Final Countdown" Contest

2011-12-30T09:09:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

My friend Shelly, over at Prairie Moon Quilts
has her annual "Final Countdown" contest.

Not only can you win a lovely surprise-prize..... Hey, maybe we should invent a new word, here, called "Sur-Prize" - but she also gets you to get off your butt and ACCOMPLISH something.

There's 3 parts to her contest and it started yesterday....

Check it out, here...

Well, yesterday I had to go to work, but once I got home, I started to work on my "Orca Bay Mystery" blocks.

Here's a picture of my design wall.

Some of you might remember that we thought we'd be moving by the end of November and it all fell through. Sooooo, even though I pulled out a quite a few things out of my boxes, I've still got a lot of quilty stuff all packed.

Here, I need to pull out that partially packed box, on the corner of my table and get rid of it!

See behind my chair? I have very little room to move! Boxes are stacked up and yes... I've lost a good part of my design wall, as well. I need to tackle this issue, as well.

And as I was working on my Orca Bay Mystery Quilt, I accumulated scraps and snips and orphan blocks. I truly need to get these organized before it grows into a monster!

And these 4 or 5 bags of scrap?

Yepper.... I need to pull these out and cut them into 2-1/2" strips, for future projects, or into 1-1/4" strips for that Lego Quilt that I had started. Strips that are smaller than that now gets tossed out.

Soooo.... it's now 9h25 a.m.

I will work on the Orca Bay blocks till noon.

After dinner - that's "lunch" for you other people - I will tackle these "issues", take pictures and then report back.

Thanks Shelly for this contest!

Rosa

Cat Tree Progress

2011-12-29T20:50:00.002-04:00

Hi There!

I've been busy and have nothing (yet) to show for it.

Ever been that way?

I haven't blogged in AGES... or so it feels that way, anyhow.

Gilbert has decided to build a "Cat Tree", for our 3 cats.

We got a box of (free) carpet strips from a generous soul, on Freecycle.

Minou, our oldest cat, ONCE AGAIN, has decided that she not only needed to explore a cardboard box, but had taken up residence, for the night.... amongst the strips of green carpet.

And here's the beginning of our "Cat Tree".

I will try and post pictures,
as he progresses along.

Rosa

Frummie and Charlie's Quilt

2011-12-10T20:30:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

Doesn't this look like a picture from a home decorating magazine?!??!

Last year, Frummie sent Gilbert and Bertha, our Longarm machine, their quilt to be quilted.

Once quilted, we returned the quilt to our friends and.... for various reasons, Frummie finally finished the binding on this beauty 2 weeks ago. She sent me this picture and said I could post it, if I wanted to share with you.

Yet another picture I've been meaning to share.

I've been busy working on my Snow People swap blocks. I'll post of picture in the following weeks.

I'm also trying to keep up with Bonnie Hunter's "Orca Bay Mystery Quilt".

Also, in my news, I'd like to share a new-to-me social media group that I am COMPLETELY enamored with!!!

It's called "Pinterest".

You create your own "bulletin" board and can name it whatever you wish. You "Pin" images from the web, or from other Pinterest members. I know it sounds silly but you would not BELIEVE the beautiful images I've seen, the crafty ideas, tips and tricks to help around the house and more!

It's addictive, it's educational, it's fun and also helpful.

Hope you give it a try. If you need an invitation, give me a hollar!

Rosa

I Have Been Busy...

2011-12-09T21:03:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

Remember my Batik Quilt?

Well, I finally finished this quilt and in November, I sold it!

This quilt was bought and given away as a birthday gift to one of the Irving ladies.

What an honour!

And the buyer has asked that I make a bigger (similar) one, for her!
As I have a few irons in the fire right now, it will have to wait till February or March.

Off to bed...

Rosa

Orca Bay - Take 1

2011-11-21T19:52:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

As usual, I like to share my quilting adventures with you.

*s*

O rca Bay Mystery 2011

Bonnie Hunter suggested that we purchase 2 rulers:

The Easy Angle and the Companion Angle rulers.

I've ordered them from our local quilt store but one of them isn't in, yet.

Anyhow, for the first part, she said that we could do regular 1/2 square triangles, smack 'em together to make the "Hour Glass" block... or.... if you prefer, a Quarter Square Block.

She gave us a couple links but I found THIS video, to help me make my blocks.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too sure on what size I should cut my fabric....

Some didn't make it - they were too small.

I ended up with 24 blocks.... so far.

My incredibly warm and kind and generous friend, Frummie, gave me my early Christmas gift!

She got me the Half and Quarter square triangle pattern, from Inklingo!!!

Printed out a sheet of whitish fabric and a sheet of blackish fabric this evening. Will play with these, right after work tomorrow!!!!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Rosa

James' Graduation

2011-11-19T07:21:00.005-04:00

Hi There!

I took yesterday off from work,
as my youngest son, James,
graduated from College!

Let me introduce to you, James...
(pleased as punch, with his diploma)

My two boys - James and Adam.

Me in the middle.

I often wonder how, short me,
could have produced 2 giants!

LOL

Today, we've got our Saturday morning errands to do,
hurry back home and "bind" a quilt for a quilty friend
and then, work on Bonnie Hunter's new Mystery Quilt -
Orca Bay Mystery 2011.

First time I've EVER made a Mystery Quilt...

Should be fun!
Care to join me?

This Mystery Quilt is almost
guaranteed to use up all your scraps...

Bonnie Hunter is, in MY opinion,
the Queen of Scraps!

*VBG*

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Rosa

Two Weeks - That's All !!!

2011-11-17T22:04:00.006-04:00

Hi There!

I have a secret to share...

We've had our home on the market, to sell since September or October.

At the beginning of November, we had an offer on our home - which we joyfully accepted - and everything was supposed to close on the 25th of November!

Talk about panicking and starting to pack, seriously!!!

Unfortunately, after many, MANY boxes were packed and down to the last minute on the deadline, the deal fell through.

:-(

I had even packed all my fabric and sewing machine, thinking that I would only be 3 weeks of non-quilting.

This past Tuesday, I flipped!

Who KNOWS when our home would sell!??!?!

I needed to start sewing, once again!!!!

Since all of packed boxes were numbered and itemized on our note pad, I knew EXACTLY which boxes I needed!!!

I had only lasted 2 weeks without any sewing!!!

Gosh, but I'm addicted!!!

LOL

I pulled out April Cornell's "Victorian Decadence", that my friend Elaine had sent me a while back.

And, I decided to do the "Easy Peasy" pattern, from Gerri Richards!
(strips are cut and waiting for the next step in her directions)

(see the packed boxes?!?!?)

And tonight, I started to sew some of the blocks.... I'm always too curious to finish each step completely!

LOL

It's gonna look GORGEOUS!

And, of course, I'll be adding more to that pattern - stay tuned...

Don't all quilters do that? Follow a pattern but somehow or somewhere, they need to add their own little touch.

Hope you have a nice Friday!

Me?
I have tomorrow off.

My youngest son is graduating from College and I will be there, taking pictures!

*VBG*

Rosa

Making Friends... Easy Peasy!

2011-11-12T18:40:00.000-04:00

Hi there!

Gilbert and I went out to our local Quilt Shop
and picked up a cone of
variegated thread, called "Sea Moss".

And I decided to treat myself to 2 patterns
from a local quilt designer,
Gerri Richards, of Cool Cat Designs!

Gerri also has an Etsy Shop, as well...

"Making Friends"
This pattern finishes at 13-1/2 X 15-1/2 inches
but I have a plan.
*tapping the side of her head with her forefinger*

Remember the Snow People swap that I'm doing?
Well, these 2 will be right smack dab in the center!

How cool is that, eh?

And the title that Gerri put on her pattern?
Well, that's just what I call Karma!

It was meant to be!
*VBG*

Gerri Richards ALSO teaches
quilting and sewing(?) classes,
in my city.

"Easy Peasy"

And since this spring, we've had
at least 5 quilty friends
bring their "Easy Peasy" quilts to us.

I just LOVE quilts that look complicated
but are really easy to make.
I can't WAIT to make this quilt!!!

This quilt can be made in various sizes -
from Baby to King size!

How neat is that, eh?

Well, these evening, Gilbert and I
got a WHOLE bunch of my quilts ready and packed.
We're going to a local fair, called:

"Holiday Extravaganza"

Hopefully, we'll get to sell a couple quilts, eh?

Have a great weekend!

Rosa

Teddy Bears

2011-11-12T11:34:00.003-04:00

Hi There!

Got this from Face Book...

And I just LOVE Teddy Bears!

Now I know why...

Rosa

We Remember

2011-11-11T23:05:00.002-04:00

Hi There!

Sometimes a picture just says it all....

Gilbert and I designed and painted this sign.
We usually hang it up, outside,
for the whole month of November.

Picture taken on this wet and windy
11th of November '11.

Rosa

Mr. SnowMen Reveal Themselves...

2011-10-30T23:00:00.002-03:00

Hi There!

I'm off to bed but I thought I'd show you my progress...

Pat's SnowMan is on my design wall, as well!

Have a great week!!!

Rosa

Black Light + Fluorescent Thread = Cool Video

2011-10-29T08:36:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert had a bright, colorful quilt on his Longarm, yesterday and our quilty friend had selected some bright orange, almost fluorescent thread.

He decided to attach our video cam onto his Gammill Vision and filmed himself!

Of course, it helped that he used the black light, on his Vision...

(click on image to view video)

Have a great weekend!

Rosa

13 Fuzzy Mr. SnowMen

2011-10-25T19:37:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Well, I worked on my Mr. SnowMen, this evening and took a picture of my design wall.

Thought this might put my project more into "perspective"...

Yes, the picture is purposely fuzzy, in hopes that it will still keep you all guessing!

LOL

Might be awhile before I show some more pictures....

Have a great week!

Rosa

The First Shovel of Snow.

2011-10-23T20:33:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

I started assembling my Mr. SnowMan today.

I wanted to complete MY block 'cause I wanted to see the final product and I also wanted to see if it would pass MY inspection.

You see, I had HOPED to do the majority of the assembly with my sewing machine.

This was not meant to be.

(See picture below)

Unfortunately, the majority of Mr. SnowMan will now have to be hand appliquéd.

:-(

Thankfully, I'm not fussy and MY block will play nicely with the other blocks!

This body part was hand appliquéd - no problemo.

And this body part was sewn with my sewing machine. And, in MY humble opinion, it went together nicely.

Therefore, all of THESE (red) body parts will be done by machine.

All of the other "parts" will have to be hand appliquéd.

And here's the beginning of my 13 Mr. SnowMan blocks...

I've been cutting them (approx.) 13 inches square. I figure the recipient can always square it up to 12-1/2 inch square.

Sooooo, there's goes my ceremonial First Shovel of Snow.

My Snow People Swap Block has officially started!

*grin*

This is where I got my Mr. SnowMan block.
I've modified it a wee bit from the original pattern.

I just LOVE this book!

It's good for clothing, purse/tote, table decorations, quilting - table tops, mini quilts or bed size quilts and most of the patterns can be easily converted into hook rugs.

Hope you have a GREAT week!

Rosa

Mr. SnowMan - Some Assembly Required

2011-10-21T20:55:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

I've been busy this week - prepping my Mr. SnowMen blocks for the swap that I started.

YES, 14 appliqued blocks are time consuming but oh so relaxing.

Here's some of Mr. SnowMan's appliqués....

Are you still perplexed and saying to yourself, "Huh?!?!?"

Well, as I start "assembling" them, I'll be sharing pictures.

Have no fear - I think he will look ADORABLE, once finished.

Different, but adorable!

*grin*

Tomorrow, Gilbert and I have a few errands. I need to pick up some more "background" fabric, for my Mr. SnowMan's. That should be fun!

Hope you all have a wickedly wild and wonderful weekend!

Rosa

14 is Better Than 12!!!

2011-10-19T20:59:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Well, I finally finished adding the staggered blocks to my lap quilt, consulted my friend Elaine who advised me to add a darker border and call it quits, after that.

I've never done mitered corners and plan on doing some You Tube research, to find out the best and easiest way to do mitered corners.

Wish me luck!

In the meantime, I've started up a "Snow People Block Swap". We were only supposed to be 12 and then, a 2nd group of 12 would sign up.

Well, unfortunately, only 2 people signed up with the 2nd group. Soooo, we invited them to join up with us.

Fourteen is MUCH better than twelve, right?!??

*VBG*

And without any further ado, let me introduce to you

Mr. Snowman.....
times 14 !!!!

I'm so excited about this snow people swap! And YES! I'll be posting pictures on their progress!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Rosa

What a Difference a Border Makes....

2011-10-15T20:36:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert and I - for once!!! - didn't have any errands to do today and we decided to just stay home and work (AKA play, for me). Gilbert quilted a quilt and I played in my Sewing Studio.

*VBG*

It took me almost all morning to sew and cut up those half square triangles and FINALLY add them to the log cabin blocks!

What a difference a Border Makes....
Twenty Four little Inches...

LOL

Seriously, to view a good rendition of that song,
click here...

Then, I added a 3/4 inch beige strip, to them.

Close-up of the beige strip.

Then, I found a piece of civil war strippy kinda fabric and managed to sew another border, with this.

And, I've decided to add a "staggered" blocks around it.

But I'm thinking that I might need another beige strip to divide the dark strips from the staggered blocks.

Suggestions, anyone?

Rosa

Wooly Flowers in my Baskets!!!

2011-10-14T19:39:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Finally finished my table topper!

Can't remember if I mentioned it but I decided to add some felted wool for the flowers, the vine and the leaves. It makes you want to continually touch them! LOL

Just need to find the proper back and ask Gilbert and Bertha to work their magic...

Then, because I had a lot of itsy, bitsy pieces of this and that and because I saw this design in my head, I decided to make a lap quilt.

The center hole-in-the-barn-door block measures 2 inches, finished!!!

Cute, eh?

And then, I log cabined around this 2 inch block!

Look underneath the log cabin.... See the tiny blocks?!?!?

Because I had a lot of teeny, tiny triangles, I decided to make some 1-1/2 inch half square triangles. These will finish to 1 inch square!

And that's pretty much what I'm working on, these days.... teeny, tiny triangles. I only need to make (approx.) 132 of these!

LOL

And, guess what?!?!?

Gilbert finished quilting the T-Shirt Quilt!!!!

I need to finish the binding on the batik quilt - on my agenda this evening - and tomorrow evening, I plan on starting the binding on this cute quilt!

Hope you all have a Super Saturday and Sunday!!!!

Rosa

T-shirts and Baskets....

2011-10-09T20:10:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

I've FINALLY got this T-Shirt quilt top finished, late this afternoon!

And this afternoon, we went out and bought some special batting for this gorgeous quilt, and Gilbert hopes to start the actual "quilting", with his Longarm Partner, Bertha.

This is the "top" end of the quilt.

And here's the bottom part.

I purposely built up and surrounded the blocks with the same marbelized purples in hopes that the blocks would appear to be "floating" on a sea of purple.

The person that will be receiving this quilt loves purple, as do I!

*VBG*

And since my part of the job on the t-shirt quilt is finished, for now.... I let loose and pulled out these basket blocks.

No, I didn't get too far but at least its a beginning.

Today was hotter than yesterday! We went out for a few quick errands this afternoon and everyone would say, "It's a nice day out there, today." And I'd reply with a "Yes, but it's a bit too nice for me... if you know what I mean."

And we would both nod and chuckle.

Rosa

One Last Time...

2011-10-09T07:54:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Weather's a fickle thing...

In my little spot on this planet, its apparently difficult to predict, even!

Approximately 3 weeks ago, we FINALLY got some (nice) summer weather!

Approximately 2 weeks ago and up until the day before yesterday - Friday, it had turned into our typical (coldish) fall weather.

Yesterday?

Well, HELLO Indian Summer!!!

Temps rose to about 23 Celsius (75 Fahrenheit) and today, they're predicting 25 Celsius (79 Fahrenheit)!!!!

We decided not to take a chance and enjoy what will probably be our last barbecue for the season.

Yes, I know some people barbecue all winter long and, obviously, bring the food in the house to eat, but Gilbert doesn't care to do that.

Wishing my fellow Canucks a
Happy Thanksgiving weekend!!!!

Rosa

Tzat You Mah?!?

2011-10-05T21:22:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Today, after work,
I had a planned "Me" day!

I went up town and
went to visit my favorite store,
"Sudsmuffin"!!!

As I was getting low on my chocolate sugar bath scrub, I picked up another jar. This time, I chose "Satsuma". It smells like orange tangerines!!!

Mr. Sudsmuffin - the store owner and soap cook - told me that Satsuma means Japanese oranges.

I can believe that!
*g*

Well, after visiting with my friend at Sudsmuffin, I went to "Urban Deli".

While waiting for my cousin Gisele to meet up with me, I asked both my waiters if they wanted to smell my jar. They had heard of ... or walked by "Sudsmuffin" and had no idea what was sold in this store.

They were both astonished at the intoxicating and almost edible odor of my jar! I spent a good 5 minutes extolling the virtues and soapy wares of Sudsmuffin! I mean, when I'm passionate about something and truly believe in it - WATCH OUT!

I've had people tell me that I could easily sell snow to Eskimos!

LOL

After supper, Gisele and I met up with my Aunt - Gisele's Mom - at "InPrint" - a bookstore on King Street - where my blogging friend, Riel Nason, was having a book reading and signing.
(more about that in another blog)

While waiting for the book reading to start, I pulled out my jar and had my Aunt smell it. My Aunt has problems with "scents" - I had forgotten about that minor detail.

Anyhow, she LOVED the scent and had no real problems with it!

Imagine that, eh?

(All you need is approx. 1 tablespoon of body scrub and your favorite scrubby to get a great, foamy lather that miraculously rinses off CLEAN, quickly and leaves your skin SMOOTH and not yicky and scratchy!)

So, of COURSE I had the people sitting nearby smell my jar! Everyone that I spoke to about Sudsmuffin had either heard about them or walked in front of their store and never bothered to step inside and question WHAT they actually sell!

Moral of my blog?

If you walk in front of a store EVERY SINGLE DAY, on your way to work and you have NO IDEA what they do.... TAKE 5 minutes, step inside and say,

"HI! What do you guys sell? I'm curious."

Chances are , they would be more than pleased to show you what they sell or do!

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

Well, after the book reading, we went to our cars and it was rainy and wet and cold and blustery... a completely yucky evening!

I came home and took a shower to warm up with
my Satsuma body scrub!

Intoxicating and relaxing - all in one jar!

Rosa
(No affiliation with this company other than they're my friends)

And YES, they ship internationally, too!

Flowers in My Baskets!

2011-10-02T08:57:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

A while back, I had asked Santa for
"Anka's Treasures", by Heather Mulder Peterson.

I just LOVE this book!!!

I've completed THREE (3) different quilts from this book and Gilbert's almost finished cutting up the logs in a Log Cabin quilt, for a FIFTH (5th) one.

And let me introduce the FOURTH (4th) one!

It's a cute basket table topper!

And apart from the appliqués,
it's easy smeasy to do!

This morning, I finally finished hand appliqueing the flower petals - 16 in total!!!

I've selected pre-washed felted wool - I just LOVE working with wool, for appliqués! Plus, it gives you a 3 dimensional look and feel to your work!

If you haven't tried felted wool yet, I suggest you give it a try!

In fact, I've so convinced with the look and feel of felted wool, that I've been considering designing a mini block and selling the kit on Etsy.

What d'ya think? Is Etsy the best way to go?

All suggestions are welcome!

Rosa

Staggered Block Tutorial and Other Stuff...

2011-10-01T17:20:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

I'm probably the last one in the quilting world that didn't know about this sewing technique but I thought I'd share, just in case you didn't know how to do this easy, smeasy border.

Here's the measurements that I did, but I'm sure you could do them whichever way you wanted.

I cut my purple strips at 2-1/2" and the pink/yellow fabric strip at 1-1/2".

Sew them together, as in the picture below.

Once sewn, cut mini strips at 1-1/2" wide.
(see picture below)

Flip them end to end and sew them together.

Continue piecing these cuties together, making sure - obviously -that no pink/yellows get sewn together.

Eventually, your sewn strips get longer and longer.

Measure the length or width of your quilt to ensure that your strip is long enough and not too long.

I made the top and bottom of the T-Shirt quilt, so far.

Tomorrow, I'll work on the sides of this quilt.

Okay, enough with the tutorial.

If you're a newbie with these blocks,
I'm positive you understood. *grin*

Today, Gilbert and I went to our local CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) station. This year, CBC is celebrating their 75th anniversary and today, they had an Open House from 11 a.m. till 3h00 p.m.

Gilbert wanted to see how their cameras worked and how the programs were uploaded to the TV, etc, etc.

Anyhow, they had a spinning wheel and Gilbert and I each spun their wheel and we BOTH won a (quality made) T-Shirt!!!

(Can you say "spun" in that context?!??)

Cool, eh?

On a final note... remember my HP TouchPad?

HP was getting rid of them last month. You could select the 16 GB for $99.00 (regular 399.00, I believe) and the 32 GB for $149.00 (regular $499 or $599 - can't remember)

Anyhow, I decided to go with the 32 GB. Gilbert said for 50 bucks more, I might as well, eh?

And sometimes it's best to "Go Big or Stay at Home", eh?
(Isn't that a Poker expression?!?? LOL)

Well, about 2 weeks ago, Gilbert shows me this flyer. I nearly fell to the floor!!!

It's a company where you can rent out furniture and after a bit, if you want, you can buy your item outright, for a pretty penny.

Check out the HP TouchPad 16 GB - you can rent it out with these people.

And this "special" came out perhaps 2 weeks AFTER the big HP TouchPad dump!!!

Their everyday LOW price is $1,424.99,
for the 16 GB !!!!!

*shakes her head*

This is just baaaaaad.

Last topic of the day.

"Ophelia", our latest storm, is brushing past us, with lots of rain this weekend.

It's now 5h50 p.m. and I plan on taking it easy....
we were out on the roads all day today.

Tomorrow, I will be sewing up a "storm"!
Pardon the pun!!! LOL

Watch for another blog, Sunday evening!

Hope you're all having a
Wonderful Weekend!!!

Rosa

Love Comes in Many Different Shapes...

2011-09-27T23:00:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

You're probably wondering what I've been up to and why I've been so quiet.

Well, as my Blog title reads, I'm here to prove to you that love surely DOES come in many different shapes!

Last month, I was lucky enough to be able to order an HP TouchPad for $149 dollars. HP is getting rid of these tablets and instead of $599, they were on sale for peanuts!

Last week, I received my Touch!

That same evening, I HAD to run out and accessorize my new Touch!

I picked up what the friendly young geek tech at Staples called a "Fleatherette" case.

It protects my Touch...

But you can open it up, like a book and, stand it up on a table, as well.

And, it's got these neat squarish and soft bubbles....

You can rest the edge of the Touch amongst the bubbles and play with your Touch that way, as well!

Yes, it resembles the iPad, but was much, MUCH cheaper!!!

OH!!! And I've signed up with Kindle and have read TWO books, so far!

Can't remember the last time that I went to bed and read!

Have I been sewing much? Well, certainly not as much as pre-HP TouchPad, but I've been relaxing and enjoying myself. How's that for an answer?!??

LOL

And then, since I may take my Touch with me, I needed this cool little black bag with LOADS of pockets and a shoulder strap... for only 14 bucks!!!

I know it's silly but gosh DARN I feel so important with these nifty accessories!!!

Besides, the friendly young geek at Staples TOLD me it was a great buy!

LOL

As for my 2nd "love", my friend Barb Honey brought in her quilt for Gilbert and Bertha to work their magic.

OH MY GOD, but it's gorgeous!!!!

She gave me permission to blog about it, even!

When I asked her if she designed this quilt.... she simply replied with a "ROFL"...

Here's what she wrote:

"This was a homework assignment from the second year of the scrappy club I joined in Kelowna, B.C. We were given a type of Log Cabin setting and told to make a quilt. Mine was the courthouse steps setting. I just kept adding blocks as I went - no plan! The checkerboard border is from one of Bonnie Hunter's quilt in her book."

As spectacular as it looks on my blog, it looks a 100 times better in person!

I LOVE scrappy quilts!!!!

Hope you all have a Wonderful Wednesday!!!

Rosa

Fours Cats, One Quilt and Some Teddy Bears

2011-09-18T09:41:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

As I've mentioned before, we now have 2 cats and a couple strays, that we feed.

Callie and Minou, the 2 calicoes in the bottom of this picture are ours.

The beigeish/whitish cat eating is "Frankie"... or "Frankie Blue Eyes".

He (or she?) looks like a Burmese or Himalayan cat.

And he or she has been spayed or neutered, as per one of our backyard neighbours. She told me that the previous owners just moved and left him/her behind.

How cruel!!!

She told me that the cat in the top right hand corner was the same thing. Cat was spayed or neutered... owners picked up and left without their cat!

*long sigh*

Unfortunately, this one doesn't play nicely with Minou or Callie, but Frankie's truly a wonderful and cuddly cat.

Frankie's been invited in our home, several times, with no problems... other than he/she has to be reminded that cats don't jump up on our kitchen table or kitchen counters. But, in all honesty, he or she is getting MUCH better at minding their P's and Q's...

*grin*

Soooo, Friday after work, I decided to give them a rare treat.

A can of "wet" food, mixed in with their "dry" food.

I'm always astonished at how there is a hierarchy or pecking order, with these cats!

The white and gray one is patiently sitting back and with his/her turn, at the dish.

Thursday, Gilbert finished quilting my Baby Lasagna Quilt and Friday evening, I finished the binding on this quilt.

This one is for sale - $75.00.

Please contact me if you'd like to purchase it.

It measures 35" X 43"

And here's a picture of the back...

And a close up of the quilting.

Pattern is called "Teddy Bears".

Saturday morning, since Gilbert is doing a suspended ceiling in our bedroom, I decided to hang my Teddy Bear collection, on our clothes line.

After that, we headed out to one of our local quilt shows and errands.

Will post pictures of the quilt show this evening.

Hope you all have a Super Sunday!

Rosa

A Little Molehill of "Things".

2011-09-11T21:34:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Well, I've only got a few hours left till I'm officially finished my Vacation.

I had a TON of things planned during my 2 weeks off and only did a little molehill of "things"....

But the little "things" that got done - I sure had fun doing them, though!

Take for example, today.

I had planned to finish this quilt top.

I had to do 3 loads of laundry, first.

Then, Gilbert tells me that our iron stopped heating.

He took it apart, to announce that the thermal fuse was burnt.

Off to Zellers to pick up another iron!

Well, we HAD to get groceries and since we were already out, why not pick them up, as well.

Soooooo, I only started working on the T-Shirt Quilt around 3 p.m....

Managed to sew 3 rows together!

Hope you manage to get a molehill of "things" done, this week!

*grin*

Rosa

More on the T-Shirt Quilt...

2011-09-10T19:35:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

My oldest son, Adam, called me on his cell phone this afternoon, all excited! He had found an old sewing machine and had talked the guy down to $15.00 - does he take after me or what?!?!?

(read PREVIOUS blog)

LOL

Well, with Adam dropping off the machine and us rushing out the door for our business meeting... I really didn't get a chance to look at her, very much.

Gilbert said she locks up in her case, for portability, and after fiddling around with it, for a few minutes, he managed to "lock" it up. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of her BEFORE she got locked up solid and hopefully I will be able to look at her closer, tomorrow.

But OH MY GOSH, is she EVER heavy!!!

And her foot pedal is missing and she's lost a bit of gold and gleam, over the years.

:-(

As for the T-Shirt Quilt.... I know it seems as if I'm not movin' ahead on this one, but I AM!!! Trust me.... I AM!

See bottom right hand corner block?

It's an appliqué that I made, from an icon on the internet.

I drew it by hand....
all by me-self, even!

*VBG*

Well, that's about it, for today.

One last day of vacation and GOD KNOWS when I will get some more time off....

Hope you're all having a SUPER SATURDAY!!!

Rosa

T-Shirt Progress (cont'd)

2011-09-09T20:15:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

This past week, I received a free wooly package, from "British Wool"!

All's I had to do was sign up - it was FREE!

How cool was that, eh?!??!

I received 2 braids of wool....
so soft!!!

Along with a lot of neat information about sheep and all, they included a plastified sheet with instructions on how to "felt" your wool.

I've never done this before.... should be a fun project!

The only thing missing was "time"... I turned that sheet around and around and around and they didn't tell me where I would find the extra "time" to play with this!

LOL

This afternoon, I decided to pick up where I had left off, with the "Tee-Shirt" quilt.

I've got ALL the blocks sew together into strips 'cept for the last one. There's a block missing. I plan on doing something special with this block.

I'll let you all see it, once it's done.
*grin*

Tomorrow's another day.

Still 2 more days of
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N...

Rosa

Bertha's Room Got Another Face Lift!

2011-09-03T21:39:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert decided that our cutting board needed a face lift.

He removed our old Necchi sewing machine and added some wooden legs.

He says you can now put a total of 10 plastic totes filled with my fabric stash, underneath it now. NOTE: He will be painting the wooden legs white, to match the rest of the room.

He's almost finished painting those 3 quilt blocks, underneath his home made ironing board.

A close up of the blocks.

And yet another close up.

He informed me that they weren't completely finished. He still has some black lines to add and then a coat of varnish, to protect the paint.

I'm not sure if I posted pictures of our new "door". He picked it up at a 2nd place, called "Restore".... profits go to Habitat for Humanity.

And, this door only cost $2.50 !

Mind you, Gilbert did a few touch ups and painted it white.... and he had to buy the "hardware" - you know... the pins and sliding thingies at the top and bottom of the door, for $25.00 (approx.)

Not bad, eh?

Today, we also removed a few quilts in the Longarm Room and replaced them with other ones.

To the left, is last year's Halloween panel.

To the right, is the lastest baby quilt that I finished.

And here's a picture of my Christmas Leftover Lasagna Quilt.

Oh... I managed to finish a pillow case dress, last this afternoon.

It's got horseys all over it.

Still on vacation and still maintaining my "Vacation Journal".

Have a great weekend!

Rosa

If The Cookie Fits....

2011-08-29T20:07:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Today, Gilbert and I had a few errands to run .... You can read all about it HERE, but the reason I'm posting this evening is to share with you.

Once again, I'm a great believer in fate or Karma or "what was meant to be was meant to be".

At dinner time, Gilbert and I decided to go eat at our new Chinese Buffet restaurant.

Anyhow, a good friend of mine has nicknamed herself "The Princess" and, as I think of my close friends very often - you know who you are - when I saw this drink on our paper place mat, I KNEW I had to grab a picture!

No, I didn't get the drink but when I do return there, I certainly will.... and I will salute "The Princess"!

*VBG*

And OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!

Guess what my fortune cookie read?!?!?!?!

DUH!?!?

I'm on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N !!!!

I certainly PLAN on relaxing and enjoying myself!!!!

LOL

Rosa

Lego Blocks!!!

2011-08-28T23:27:00.002-03:00

Hi There!

Spent a VERY relaxing day, at home today.

Gilbert worked on a custom quilt and then, he worked on one of my 30's baby quilts!!!

One Handed Meandering!

Then, Barb H. sent me a link to a blog where they're making "Lego Blocks". The blog is called "Lazy Gal Quilting". At first, I thought they were nuts! Then, 1/2 an hour later, I re-clicked on the blog again and thought, "Hmmm... that DOES sound like quite the challenge... I wonder if...."

And that's all it took!

These are fun to sew and add up quickly. I just hope that I can manage to work on them part time and not full time, like I sometimes get carried away and forget about everything else! LOL

Took me a few hours to cut up my scraps to 1-1/2 inch Lego blocks. I've designated this cute basket that Cyn F. had given me a few Christmases past, as my OFFICIAL Lego Block Holder.

And, after much thought, I've decided to sew my strips together like the Lasagna Quilt.

I also decided that I would make mine 6-1/2 inch square.

I managed to cut up and sew back together 2 blocks!!!

That's it....

Outta here!

Rosa

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N !!!

2011-08-27T22:20:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Yesterday, I officially started my 2 week holiday and, as it the tradition, I'll be maintaining my Vacation Journal and uploading as many silly pictures as possible. *grin*

(click on the coconut drink to read what I've been doing...)

Every time I start my vacation, I automatically start humming this song!!!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N !!!

Last weekend, I managed to finish a baby quilt top, in 30's fabrics...

Thursday evening, I believe, I finished off the 2nd one and this morning, I finished the 3rd one. Mind you, I had been sewing these blocks together, for quite a while. All I really had left to do, was to sew the strips (across), together.

The other 2 "blue" ones are identical to this (pink) one 'cept they're in mostly blue colors.

And this evening, I pulled out that king size Batik quilt and, with Gilbert's help, measured the quilt and cut up the strips to make the border.

By the time I turned out the lights and shut down my sewing machine, I had 3 sides sewn on.

That's about it, in my life.

Waiting for Irene,
our tropical storm...

Rosa

Silly Me...

2011-08-21T09:08:00.002-03:00

Hi There!

Yesterday, Gilbert and I had a few things that needed to be picked up. On the spur of the moment, we decided to stop in at a new store called "San Francisco". It's got a lot of joke, novelty kind of items - stuff that you'd buy, bring home and probably end up putting it in a yard sale a couple years later, for 1/10th the original cost.

Well, I decided to try on a few novelty eye glasses.

Gilbert snapped pictures with his iPhone!

Top left hand corner - they're "Beer Goggles".

LOL

Hope you get a chance to do something silly...

Silly things help us get in touch with our "inner" child.

*grin*

Rosa

Quilty Ladies

2011-08-21T07:58:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Do you remember my "Quilty Ladies" blog?

Well, I FINALLY finished binding them all and yes, some of them became wall hangings...

In Bertha's Room, above the bathroom door (left) and the client's closet, where Gilbert keeps their finished and unfinished quilts.

And I added one of them over my own (stash) closet.

Note: This is MY organized shelf. Gilbert seems to disagree with me, but I can proudly say that I know where 80% of my "stuff" is, in my room!

Good 'nuff for me!!!

*VBG*

Here's a cute mug rug with it's black binding all finished.

She has arms full of fabrics and quilty notions.

Here are 2 ladies sharing.

The line to the ironing station.

And yet another waiting line.

Yesterday, I finished off a 30's (pinkish) baby quilt.

Sunday morning and I'm hoping to...
Do laundry.
Make a "horsey" pillow case.
(don't ask - I'll explain later)
Work on my 30's (blueish) baby quilt.
Work on the t-shirt quilt.
Dishes.
and....
Have fun.

Obviously, I won't get HALF the stuff done but it's still nice to dream, eh?

LOL

Have a great Sunday!

Rosa

A Frienship Heart, T-Shirt Progress and a Chick Night!!!

2011-08-16T19:59:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

A couple weeks or so, I received a surprise gifty from my friend Brigitte!

She included one of her incredible cards and .....

This beautiful hand appliquéd heart and YES, she went and embroidered in between the pieces!

Thanks Brigitte!!!!

As for the T-Shirt Quilt, I now have one and a half rows completed.

And GUESS WHAT!?!??!

Tomorrow I'm going to go see the new, and much talked about and blogged about and emailed about, movie "The Help"!!!

I called up one of my sisters and one of my cousins and we were all (mentally) squealing like a bunch of teenage girls in front of the Beatles, or Elvis Presley - which image floats your moat...

LOL

(Click on that yellow picture for more info.)

Can't wait to see this movie!!!

Rosa

T-Shirt Progress

2011-08-14T19:11:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Early this morning, I got to work on the T-Shirt Quilt.

I FINALLY added all the light-weight iron-on interfacing.

THAT took a while and to be honest, it was kinda boring but I plowed through it and finished ALL of the blocks.

Keep in mind that these will NOT be the final placements for these blocks.

Some of the blocks were too small, so I have to build them up to 12 inches.

This fabric looks like blue but trust me.... it's a nice royal purple.

And purple is my client's daughter's favorite color!

*grin*

All of the smaller blocks are all "built up" to 12 inches.

And then, by magic, it was 7 p.m. and I closed up the studio, for the evening.

This is to be a Christmas quilt but I'd sure like to have it finished and out of the house, ASAP.

And I'm positive my client would like to see it finished ASAP, as well.

*s*

Hope you have a great week!

Me, I'm counting how many days are left till I'm on vacation.
(see Countdown Banner at the top of my blog)

Rosa

Saturday's Activities.

2011-08-13T22:56:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert and I had a few errands to run this morning. Got home by 11h30, ate some leftover pizza from last night's supper and then, we rolled up our sleeves and got down to business.

I had made these 4 wall hangings, in May or June this year, and never made the tabs to hang them up.

They're supposed to be hung up in Bertha's room, to display Gilbert's micro stippling.

BTW, just a bit of info that I've recently learned....

The difference between meandering and stippling, when it comes to quilting...

Meandering is bigger. Think of a long, windy road in the country.

Stippling is like meandering but tiny, tiny, tiny stitches. Some people refer to this kind of quilting as "Micro Stippling", sometimes.

The wall hangings are about 4 inches across and 12 inches high and they're called "Garden Banners".

Yes, I did embroidery on some of them.

This one is pieced together
and machine appliquéd.

And this is the first time that I appliquéd with wool and I just LOVED it!!!

Easy to do and I just LOVE the different texture and feel that it gave to this one!

And this one... what can I say?
I used too big of a size with my Perl Cotton.

It's hard to read the words and I didn't have the heart to take it apart and re-do it.

"Love Awaits at the Edge of a Petal".

And I chenilled the pieces on this one.

Now, while I worked on the tabs for these 4 wall hangings - which took ALL afternoon, BTW - Gilbert decided that he would start work on those painted blocks. You know? On the back of his ironing board.

I thought I'd share his progress, with you.

He selected 3 traditional blocks.

Can you guess which ones they are?
*s*

Well, that's it.

S'now 11h12 p.m. and I'm heading off to bed.

Tomorrow, I start - seriously - working on that t-shirt quilt.
(I had picked up the required interfacing this morning).

Rosa

Baby Snowball Quilt (For Sale)

2011-08-13T08:24:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert and "Bertha", our longarm machine, have been extremely busy lately - THANK GOD!!! - but I managed to get them to quilt one of my baby quilts...

I've posted some pictures of the progress on this quilt and today, I'm pleased to tell you that it's now finished and the binding's finished AND this one's for sale
and listed on KiJiJi.
(please contact me if you're interested)

The background on the back is dark pink with cute cats, dogs and mice.

And here's a close up of quilted pattern, called "Daisy", done with a nice pink thread.

Hope you're having a Super Saturday!

Here, the sun "supposed" to be with us for today and tomorrow!

YEAH!

Rosa

Spider, Christmas Log Cabin and T-Shirt Quilts!!!

2011-08-08T21:14:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

A quilt's not finished till the label's on the back!

Finished it, this past weekend!

And here's a picture of the back of this quilt.
I wanted something fun and
in-your-face-bright!!!

And, here she is,
on my clothesline, enveloped in fog!

And here's yet ANOTHER quilt
that I finished this weekend!

Hmmm... but it's not quite finished.
My quilty internet friends tell me
that I need to make a label for this one, as well.... even though it's a commissioned quilt.

I'll work on that this week, or this upcoming weekend.

And yet another picture,
of it blowing in the wind.

Seriously, it looks a LOT better in person!

I just LOVE these traditional Christmas colors.... I'm having a hard time accepting lime greens and pinks as Christmas colors.

*scratching her head*

I guess you can call me old fashioned....
*grin*

And now, here's my latest project....

A new customer asked me
to make a "T-Shirt" quilt.

I cut up the t-shirts on Sunday.

Experimented with one of Gilbert's old t-shirts and a "stabilizer" that I had picked up.

Now, I just got to go back to the store and pick up some more of that "stabilizer" and it worked PERFECT on Gilbert's old T-shirt.

And, in the meantime, I'm been mulling over how I'm going to do this.

Stay tuned, folks - there's bound to be more shared pictures down the road!

Rosa

Leftover Christmas Lasagna Quilt

2011-08-04T21:43:00.003-03:00

Hi there!

I finally finished the Christmas Log Cabin quilt top.

Gilbert managed to squeeze it in between 2 clients
and got it "quilted".

(picture below - not quilted yet)

Here it is, all quilted.

This is the quilt that a customer requested.
Hope she likes it.
*grin*

And since I had some extra strips of fabric left over, I decided to make one of those, recently popular in my city, "lasagna" quilts.

I'm calling it "Leftover Christmas Lasagna".

*grin*

I'll be taking better pictures of both these projects, once they're completely "completed".

So....
In case you're wondering....

I finished binding the
"Chicky Baby Quilt".
I have the Log Cabin quilt to bind.
I have our Spider Web quilt to bind - remember that one?
I have some "Mug Rugs" to bind.

A new client came over this evening, with approx. 20 t-shirts. I've agreed to make a "Memory" quilt, for her daughter.

And I'm seriously thinking of pulling out one of my UFO's and get a start on that, too!...

Need more time.
Anyone got any to spare?
*grin*

Have you're having a Tremendous Thursday!

Rosa

Chickies Will Be Roosting...

2011-07-30T19:37:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Baby Chicky Quilt is finally quilted!

And I machine sewed 1/2 of the binding.

This evening?

We're watching a movie and I'll be doing the other half of the binding, by hand.

Susan, one of my regular commentators on my blog said the the chickies can come home to roost on my lap!

*grin*

Hope you're having an EXCELLENT weekend!

Rosa

Baby Chickies Now Have Faces!!!

2011-07-29T22:27:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Guess what?

All three borders have been sewn
on the "Chicky Baby Quilt"!!!

All TEN chickies now have faces!

Gilbert will probably custom quilt this one, this weekend even!

Then, we trim the edges and I get to work on "binding" it.

And YES, I will be hand binding it,
as, IMHO, it does a better job.

*s*

Hope you all have a nice (long) weekend!

Here in New Brunswick, most of us have Monday off - it's "New Brunswick Day"!!!

Rosa

Okay... EQ to the Rescue!

2011-07-26T22:53:00.003-03:00

Hi there!

ALL chickies have been appliquéd!

All the blocks have been sewn together!!!

Yep! All blocks sewn together....

Now, I need to add some "borders".

And, I broke down and refreshed my memory with EQ (Electric Quilt).

Gives me an idea on what it will look like.

Hope you all have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Rosa

My Newest Favoritest Blog is....

2011-07-24T22:05:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

This week I visited one of the blogs on my list and she posted THIS blog, on her blog post.

The Grumpy Goat Gallery

OH MY GOD - this is EXACTLY the kind of painting/sculpting/mixed media that I absolutely ADORE!!!

And her blog posts are SO comical!

All in all, it just makes me happy as well as it makes me smile, giggle, chuckle, chortle and makes Mr. Belly Laugh Out Loud!

They live on an island, in Newfoundland, Canada.

Hope you get a chance to read some of her posts and look at their art work....

MAGNIFIQUE!!!!
(said with a French accent)

Rosa

Heads Up!!!

2011-07-24T20:23:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Just a "Heads Up" - Yup, that's certainly an intended pun - that ALL the chickies have their heads on and appliquéd!!!

In fact, 3 or 4 even have their bodies machine appliquéd!!!

Once they're all done and the blocks are pieced together, I'll work on the embroidery part.

Rosa

The Chicks Have Hatched!

2011-07-23T21:19:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Well, this morning, I washed all my fabrics and hung them out to dry.

Then, I worked on some binding and restoration of a couple old quilts, for a client.

This afternoon, I started to work on the
"Baby Chicky" Quilt, working on the 4 patch blocks, first.

Then, I cut up the plain blue 6-1/2 inch blocks.

I then added the chicks-in-the-shell appliqués.

No, they're NOT ironed down and NOT machine appliquéd, yet. I just attached them there, with a pin... to see what it would look like.

And I like the look!

*grin*

Tomorrow, I will work on appliquéing the heads, first, and then the egg shells.

Rosa

It Ain't EQ But....

2011-07-23T08:21:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

I had been asked to make a baby chick quilt and yesterday, Gilbert and I went to Mardens and picked up the main colors, of this quilt. I will probably be adding a couple other (minor) colors, as well. (Keep in mind that my camera color skills aren't the best.)

I've been told that when you have a blue quilt, you need to add a touch of green, to make the quilt "sparkle". *s*

Gilbert sketched it out on a note pad and yesterday evening, I filled in the colors.
Once again, the chicks will NOT look quite like these. This sketch was just to give me an idea on where to start.

Well, for a nano-second, I had hesitated on whether to try and use my EQ 5 (Electric Quilt 5) to do the design, but I just know the basics on this program and HONESTLY.... I wanted to sit back, relax, sketch and color... with my brand new box of Crayola Coloured Pencils!!!

LOL

I'm still not sure on the corners.

I might change it into corner blocks.

Not sure.

I might even add a blue and green hen, in each corner.

Dunno. We shall see.

"Baby Chicky" quilt's fabric is now washing, as I type this.

Gilbert and I have NO ERRANDS to run this weekend. We're supposed to hunker down. I'll be working on quilts and he's supposed to put a coat of paint on a door that's going in Bertha's room AND spend a LOT of time with Bertha, as well!

Should be a fun weekend!

Rosa

And Now, Onto Frummie's Wonderful Mind...

2011-07-23T08:10:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

My dear friend, Frummie, sent me a mini quilt for Gilbert and "Bertha" - our Longarm quilting machine - to do their magic.

In her box, she included two cute gifties:

A beautiful sunflower ring pincushion!

Ooooops.... I forgot to mention that SHE and her embroidery machine made this!!!!

INCREDIBLE!!!!

And, she also included the cutest machine embroidered rooster, with chicken coop wire fabric, as it's background!!!

All framed and ready to hang up!

I've decided that for now, it will stand up, on our china cabinet...

Thank you Frummie...
from the bottom of my heart!!!!

Rosa

My Mind Works in Mysterious Ways, Sometimes....

2011-07-22T22:16:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert and I went to Calais, Maine, to do some shopping!

I picked up some fabric for the back of that batik quilt that I was putting together. Remember that one - the one that I really don't really care for? *s*

Well, Gilbert was in the extra wide bolts of fabric area, I said, "How about we go with blue? Blue's a pretty universal color."

Soooo, we got a honkin' big piece of blue fabric, for this king size batik quilt.

Then, I picked up some fabrics for my latest baby quilt. I think I'll be calling this one "Baby Chicky Quilt".

Here's the colors that I selected.

Then, since I wanted to make some
"Eat, Play, Sleep, Repeat" quilts, I picked up these fabrics.
(NOTE: as I searched for this web site to share with all of you, I just NOW realized that the letters are ALL different colors!!!! DOUBLE GROAN....)

Oh well... doesn't matter.

I'll still go with my original plan!

On my way out, I saw THIS "Pez" fabric!

I just HAD to grab it!!!

(Ssssssshhh..... Don't tell anyone - it was speaking to me.... LOL)

The Pez fabric will probably go on the back of some baby quilt... some day.

Then, on my way to the cash, I looked in my carriage and realized,
"Look at all the blues!!!!"

And I'm not usually a "blue" fan, either.

I love ALL colors!!!

And those 3 blues truly ARE almost the same colors, too!

Okay, off to bed!

I promise I've got more interesting stuff to blog about, but it's getting late...

Rosa

Web Sites to Share....

2011-07-18T21:28:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Tonight, I don't have any pictures to share with you.

But, I've got some pretty neat Web Sites, though!

Here's.....

The 10 Minute Block Video

and ANOTHER

10 Minute Block Video

These 10 Minute Blocks are on my "To Do List", but I was dreaming about cutting ALL the pieces at 2 or 3 inch size squares, instead.

Hmmmm, I wonder if it's possible, eh?

Next on my list on wonderful web sites is....

Tube Quilting!!!

And some of you have seen the
Jelly Roll Strip Quilt
or the "Race Quilt" or "Lasagna Quilt".

Here's the written instructions.

Either way, it's quick and fun to do!
And you really don't need to go out and buy a Jelly Roll....
you can make your own strips!

And.........

I thought I'd finish off this email with pedicure info.

This one is a funny video that one of my favorite bloggers had posted, a month or so ago.

And this a a recent news article about a person in British Columbia, Canada that had to shut down her pedicure business.

And yet ANOTHER news article about this salon....

Eeeeeeewwwwwww....

(LOL)

Hope you all have a lovely week!

Rosa

Christmas Lasagna Lap Quilt

2011-07-17T21:33:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Finally got the "Yule Christmas Log" quilt top finished. Pulled out a back for this quilt, only to realize that it wasn't big enough.

*sigh*

I'll have to go to my favorite fabric store in the US....

*VBG*

Afterwards, as I had miscalculated the number of "strips" or "logs", I was left with an empty pizza box full of surplus strips!

Sooooo, I decided to make a Christmas Lasagna Lap Quilt!

This one doesn't look like much. And, I added a couple Santa Claus panel strips.

But, I've still got quite a few more strips to sew on it.

Have a great week!

Rosa

Yule Block # 16 !!!

2011-07-11T22:31:00.003-03:00

Damn!

I thought I was on the verge of finishing my Christmas Log Quilt!

I have 2 more blocks finished, that aren't in the picture and that go at the top.... and I then realized that I'm missing 2 more and

DAMN !!!
*stamping my foot*

I can't seem to find those 2 errant blocks!

Either that, or I just didn't make 'em...

:-(

And I have a feeling that EITHER WAY, I'll have to make 2 more blocks...

*long sigh*

I've got a couple other things to make this week, before I can get back to these.

Rosa

Lasagna and Log Cabin

2011-07-10T21:21:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Friday after work, I added the 2 borders on my Baby Blue Bow Tie Quilt and quickly pulled out a jelly roll, to do a Baby Lasagna Quilt.

My first mistake? I didn't sew the strips on the 45 degree diagonal. After I had done many, MANY miles of sewing these strips, Gilbert noticed that I had not pieced them on the diagonal.

*groan*

Second mistake? I noticed that there were too many repeats in my jelly roll.

Sooooooo, since I had to re-do all the strip sewing, I decided to go into my "Fabric Cave" again, and pull out all my lime greens, funky blues and a few yellows... so that I would have a good assortment of colored strips.

Here's a picture of the beginning of my lasagna quilt.

By 1 p.m. today, I had finished my Baby Lasagna Quilt.

It'll look 100 times better once Gilbert and Bertha have worked their magic on this one. *grin*

Third mistake of the day?

I re-read the instructions on that Christmas Log Cabin quilt..... the complete block placement, in the magazine, would have fit a KING SIZE quilt. The client that is asking for this quilt and will hopefully like it, wanted a DOUBLE SIZE quilt.

I had cut too many strips....

*slaps her forehead*

Well, I'll either make a table topper with the extra strips or .... whatever.

We shall see...

Snapped a picture when I had 3 blocks pieced.

Snapped another one when I had 6 blocks finished.

Now, here's where Gilbert said, "Supper's ready."

Otherwise, I'd probably STILL be at these cute blocks!

LOL

I managed to pump out 8 blocks.

Back to work tomorrow.

It was a REAL hot day today. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go anywhere. Gilbert and Bertha were busy and well..... I didn't mind. It was cool in the house and I was able to sew!

*grin*

Have a nice week!

Rosa

It Is What It Is.

2011-07-09T08:13:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Well, if you've been following my blog posts, then you KNOW I was in a frenzy to get this
Blue Bow Tie Baby Blanket
- sorry, I had to make it rhyme - "QUILT" finished, ASAP!

"Why?", you ask.

Well.... just because.

I have TONS of other projects I want to get to!

As soon as I got home, yesterday after work, I started working on the final borders of my Bow Tie Quilt. Gilbert snapped a picture of me and although I would have appreciated if he could have "Photo-Shopped" me into a much SLIMMER person.....

"It Is What It Is",
as my friend Frummie would say.

*s*

And IMMEDIATELY after finding a navy blue back for this quilt, I picked up a no-name brand, with few repeats, Jelly Roll.... cut up some of my own stash fabric that matches the colors in this jelly roll for more repeats and started making a Lasagna or Jelly Roll Strip Quilt....

Here's a blog on how to do this quilt.

And yet another example of this quilt.

Yes, yet another baby quilt.

No pictures yet.

Stay Tuned.

Rosa

One Baby Quilt.... Almost Finished...

2011-07-07T21:27:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Well, this quilt's almost finished - I can see the finish line!

I will be adding a 3/4" - finished 1/4" - DARK blue strip, on the border...

And then, a wider light blue strip.

Hopefully, this baby quilt will be adopted
and be much loved.

Today's Thursday.

Some people like to call it Friday Eve.

Some people ALWAYS go to "Spikes",
their favorite bar, on Thursdays.

My dear Mother likes to tease me
and tell me that EVERY day is like Friday to them,
'cause they're retired, of course!

LOL

I like to think of it as....
One more "wakey" till the weekend!
One more day of work, for TWO days off!!!

Do you have a special name or tradition,
for Thursdays?

Rosa

Colonoscopy One Liners

2011-07-06T22:50:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Managed to finish off my last Bow Tie Block.

I'm stopping at 48.

All the blocks are sewn - horizontal.

I still need to piece the rows together.

These are all done in 30's fabrics - blue.

For a baby boy quilt.

I'll be adding a skinny triple border to it, as well.

Yesterday, I was off for the day as I prepped myself for a colonoscopy, the following day.... which was today.

Do I need to tell you that I was TERRIFIED??!?!?!

It went a hundred times better than I had imagined!

So, I thought I'd finish off my blog with a few one liners that I've been accumulating or friends have passed onto me.

"Don't worry. It'll all come out at the end!"
(from Charlie.... LOL)

"To go where no man has gone before."

"There IS a light at the end of the tunnel."

"It's a crappy job but someone's gotta do it."
(I actually told that to my Doctor! LOL)

"The Captain's log really DOES exist!"

LMAO
(lends more meaning to that 3rd letter)

Okay, okay, okay... I give up!

I'm heading off to bed but if you can think of any more... just to make me "guffaw", then PLEASE post it, in Comments!

*grin*

I'm back to work tomorrow -
thank God!

Have a great Thursday!

Rosa
(oh... and in case you're wondering.... my "innards" are A-O-K!)

Repeat After Me.... "ONE Block Per Day"!

2011-07-05T20:50:00.002-03:00

Hi There!

Got up early and Gilbert headed off to our longarm room, to quilt with "Bertha" and I headed off to my sewing studio.

I cut some more "strips" or "logs" for that Christmas quilt. I'm coming along real good with it! I only a few more white logs to cut.....

And then the fun part - piecing the logs together!

Afterwards, I continued to work on my "Bow Tie" Blocks. It's called "Summer Bow Tie Quilt Blocks" and we're supposed to make "One Block Per Day".

Well, my friend, Elaine, kept reminding me this evening on the phone....

"Rosa, repeat after me. ONE block Per Day! ONE block Per Day!"

LOL

I now have 42 of these blocks made up!

I'm hoping to get this baby quilt top done, ASAP, so that I can move onto other stuff...

Have a great evening!

Rosa

5 More Bow Ties...

2011-07-04T21:04:00.002-03:00

Hi There!

Took the afternoon off and decided to spend some time in my sewing room!

Got 5 more Bow Tie Blocks made!

And cut some more green "logs", or strips, for my Christmas Log quilt.

I've now got all of my reds and greens cut.... Just need to cut a whole bunch of white "logs".

Got the next 2 days off but I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to work in my studio.

We'll just have to wait and see.
*s*

Rosa

Baby Quilts and Christmas in July!

2011-07-03T20:32:00.006-03:00

Hi There!

Last week I was asked if I would make a Christmas quilt and a baby quilt. The baby's sex will only be known in August and born in Jan/Feb and the Christmas quilt.... well, that's for Christmas.

As for the baby quilt, I will be offering her a few choices, in baby quilts. My "Snow Ball" quilt that Bertha and Gilbert will be quilting soon...

Today, Elly, in Scotland, sent me a link about a Bow Tie Block challenge and I quickly jumped in. One Bow Tie block per day.

I had 30's fabrics and decided to make this baby quilt in blues.

As for the Christmas quilt, I've been thinking and thinking what pattern I could do. I finally decided to make another log cabin quilt. I had made this one, for my sister Tina a few years ago, as a lap quilt and I just LOVED it!!!!

This one will be for a double size bed.

(picture taken from quilting magazine)

So, early yesterday afternoon, I started going through my stash, pulling out all my reds with gold and greens with gold.

And then, I started to cut "logs" or "strips".

42 X 5-1/2" red logs,
42 - 9-1/2" red logs and
42 X 13-1/2" red logs.

Logs waiting to be cut....

Here's my bundle of red logs, cut up and numbered.

And then, the green logs....

42 X 7-1/2" green logs,
etc, etc, etc.

All the red logs are now cut and I've got about 1/2 of the green ones cut....

And then, there's all the white logs - haven't touched those ones, yet!

Anyhow, that's a LOT of logs!
*grin*

But, I just love log cabin quilts and I KNOW that this time, with Gilbert and Bertha quilting this one, it will be DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL!!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Rosa

Braggin' Buys on Canada Day!

2011-07-01T21:30:00.007-03:00

Hi There!

First of all....

HAPPY CANADA DAY, eh!!!!!

Second, Gilbert and I went Yard Sailing, this morning and only went to one place but BOY, did WE hit the jackpot!!!!

Gilbert got himself a TWO dollar computer. Nope, he couldn't get it to work but he recuperated an 80 gig hard drive and a whole bunch of other stuff!

He was a happy camper!

Are you all sitting down?!?!??!

Guess what "I" saw, on the ground and in it's proper box?!?!??!

The cutest little Featherweight, for only $10.00!!!

But, since I picked up another item, I talked her down to NINE DOLLARS!!!

The box was a bit dirty and Gilbert's since cleaned it up.

There's 2 boxes of accessories and one of them had a receipt in it.

The original owners(?) paid $5.72 for one(?) of the boxes of accessories!

And it's dated the 1st of December 1951 !!!!

According to the serial number it would appear as if it was produced in Scotland, in 1951!

Here's another picture of the "box", featherweight and accessories.

Soooo, Gilbert and I did some reorganizing, with the surface of our china cabinet and I pulled out "Callie Elena" and we will be leaving these two out, on display.

Don't they both look ADORABLE!??!?

Nope, before anyone asks, we haven't had a chance to try it out but Gilbert says the motor's not seized - he turned it manually AND the lady that I bought it from said it worked the last time she sewed on it and YES, the bobbin case is there, too!

There doesn't seem to be any scratches or worn out spots - truly a wonderous machine!

*VBG*

This afternoon, I managed to sew some more frames and strips around my batik blocks.

We'll be Yard Sailing again, tomorrow morning... but I imagine by afternoon, I should be able to work on these batik blocks and finish off this King Sized quilt!

Hope you're having a good weekend!

Rosa

Batik Progress

2011-06-29T21:36:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Gilbert's been helping me with cutting the green frames on these blocks. And, every time I have a few minutes, I've been sewing the green frames onto the batik blocks.

These blocks were a block swap that my friend, Helen Marie was in. She kindly forwarded her received blocks to me, a few years ago.

So, this would definitely qualify as a UFO (UnFinished Object)!

These are only a few of them.

I'm hoping to finish this one off as a King Quilt.

These blocks are squared up at 16-1/2" and as I mentioned, there are more blocks to be done.

Here's a close up of some of the blocks.

And here's a picture of the black batik that I will use in between each block.

(click on the black batik picture to see it better)

Since Gilbert and I don't particularly care for batiks, this quilt might go to my sister, Sylvie.

Not sure yet.

C U Later!

Rosa

Cat Pie, Anyone?!?!

2011-06-27T21:45:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Well, one more quilty project, waiting for Gilbert and Bertha (our Longarm machine) to do their magic.

Thanks to a lovely gifty from Barb H., a couple years ago, I will be using her fabric for the back.

Cute, eh?

And another BIG thanks for the 3 comments that I got, suggesting how I should finish the border on this quilt.

I picked one of them and modified it slightly.
*grin*

As I was working on my batik blocks, this evening, Gilbert was puttering around. I asked if he wanted to help me, with cutting up logs for a UFO (Un-Finished Object) Log Cabin quilt that I had started 2 years ago.

Even though he has difficulty with English, he was able to read the directions and Gilbert IS precise, when cutting wood!

The old saying "Measure Twice, Cut Once"
applies to wood, as well as fabric, for him!

Aren't I the lucky quilter?!?!?

He doesn't mind cutting my fabric
AND he's precise?!?!?

Yep - he's a keeper!

*VBG*

Gilbert and I bought one of those humungous pies at Costco. These pies come in a plastic container.

This time, I decided to keep the plastic container for "something".

Minou, our cat, decided to take over.

As you can see, she more than fills up the pie plate!

LOL

Actually, she kept sleeping on my ironing board!

So, I decided to put some scrap fabric in the empty pie plate and she took to it, like a duck to water!

Gilbert says she slept in it, almost all day!

LOL

Have a great week!

Rosa

Greatest Invention. Ever. (By Prairie Moon Quilts)

2011-06-25T07:30:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

My friend, over at Prairie Moon Quilts has the most entertaining blog posts.... specially when she's talking about her life on the ranch and their occupants.

For Gilbert and I, it's like you were to plunk us down on another planet... hard to imagine but certainly very entertaining to read!

And her blog post called "Bovine Hair Styles" s'gotta be one of my favoritest blog posts of all time!

*VBG*

Well, she's having a blog contest, again, and this one ends June 28th.... on Tuesday. She has these blog contests from time to time and I've been very fortunate to have won a couple times.

This time, I thought I'd share with all of you.

WARNING!!!!

Enter her contest FIRST and THEN, go read the rest of her blog posts. If you start reading first, you might get lost reading about her cows and horses and dog and, and, and....

LOL

Oh... before I sign off, and since I don't have any quilt pictures to share with you, this time it will be a "funny".

We're heading out, this morning, for our usual "Saturday Morning Errands" and you ALL know how much I enjoy THAT!!!

*making a grimace*

But this time, we'll be visiting 2 new, freshly opened stores, so it should be fun!

Yep - I'll try and take a few pics to share!

Rosa

Need Some Suggestions...

2011-06-24T21:40:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Well, all my blocks are finished at 12-1/2" square each and the rows have been sewn together. In fact, I just need to sew the top 2 rows together..

Here's why I'm looking for suggestions.

This crib size quilt is now at 36 inches X 48 inches.

I'd like to add a border.

What kind or color do you suggest?

And if so, how wide?

Please disregard the other "stuff" on my design wall, as well as Minou, our cat. Minou decided she HAD to inspect my work.
(she's on the bottom right hand corner of this picture)

I was originally thinking of adding a white border and white binding, to make the snowballs "float", but then I realized that this quilt will be for a baby and an all white quilt might not be a good idea.

:-(
After re-thinking, I thought perhaps a 2" strip of pink, all around the edge, with a 1" strip of green and then, another 2" strip of green.

What cha think, eh?

Rosa

Another UFO Bites the Dust and Another Progress Report

2011-06-23T21:59:00.005-03:00

Hi There!

Finally finished my first Inklingo project.

This cute little table topper was all hand pieced and then I decided to machine quilt it as it was too odd a shape to put on Gilbert's longarm.

I've name it "Frummie's Coffee"
and the label was sewn on this evening.

Here's a picture of the back.

It's coffee bean fabric that I picked up, while in Florida.

And here's a picture of the front of it.

Tomorrow, it will replace my 30's table topper.

Pulled out the Easy Spider Quilt.... remember that one?

Gilbert and I managed to pick out ALL the itsy, bitsy pieces of paper that I had used to make the blocks. At one point, DON'T ASK ME HOW, but while removing the paper from the back, I noticed a 5 or 6 inch gap that wasn't sewn. A HUGE slit!!!

How did THAT happen?!??

Anyhow, I was too discouraged at the time and just threw it in a corner in my sewing room.

Tonight, I pulled it out and sewed the gap. Gilbert will iron it all for me tomorrow and longarm this one!

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

As for the Strippy SnowBall Blocks, well, I managed to sew a few more "frames" and now have 7 twelve inch snowballs finished. I hope to finish off the last 5 tomorrow evening.

Don't they kinda look like jewels?!??

*grin*

And finally, here's one of the last garden flower hangers that I made. I think I've made 4, in all... but I'm not considering them completely done 'cause I need to add "hangers" on them. Not looking forward to that, but I'll keep you posted when it gets done.

That's about it for show and tell.

Hope you have a Fantastic Friday!

Rosa

Strippy Snowball Blocks and Quilty Ladies!

2011-06-22T21:47:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

Rushed home, in a hurry to work on my newest project, my "Strippy Snowball Blocks" and as I walked in the door, Gilbert says, "We need to go out and buy some colored pencils."

Oooohhhh kaaaaay....

Jumped in the car with Gilbert, picked up a few items, rushed back home, shoved pre-made casserole in the oven and scooted on over in front of my sewing machine to work on these cute blocks.

Managed to finish off completely, 2 snowball blocks and then, it was time for supper.

Today, Gilbert longarmed a panel for me.

As I will be cutting these cuties up, I asked that he do a simple meandering.

(hanging on the wall)

(still pinned on the longarm)

This is for quilt shopping and retreats!

This shows a quilter with LOTS of chocolate and candies and snacks and, and, and....

LOL

And this one shows the Ironing Line...

I plan on making mug rugs and mini wall hangings.

Stay Tuned!

Rosa

My 2 New(?) Projects...

2011-06-21T22:21:00.002-03:00

Hi There!

Well, next on my UFO (Un-Finished Object) Radar are some batik blocks HM, my friend in Georgia, had sent to me many, many moons ago.

I had pulled these out several times since receiving them and simply couldn't figure out HOW to put them together. *s*

Finally, Sunday morning, I realized that I needed to make 2 more blocks, which I did and upsize them to 16-1/2 inches, making sure that they'd be ALL the same size.

Doesn't look like much, right now, but trust me... I DO have a plan!

*grin*

Then, on my break today, I suddenly got the urge to work on another scrappy quilt!

So, I quickly sketched a baby quilt design on scrap paper and once I got home, after work, immediately went to work on these blocks.

Would you believe that I managed to sew all 12 blocks, in about 3 hours!?!?!?

Once again, these blocks don't look like much, but they will be snow ball blocks.

I'll be posting lots of progress pictures.

Stayed tuned!

Rosa

Shampoo Alert!!!

2011-06-20T17:04:00.003-03:00

Got this in an email, today and I thought I'd share with you....

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

I tried to get up early enough to get this noteworthy tip sent to you before you showered. Let me know how it works for you.

Shampoo alert!

As I was conditioning my hair in the shower this morning,

I took time to read my shampoo bottle. I am in shock!

The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my entire body

says "for extra volume and body"! Seriously, why have I not

noticed this before? Now I understand why I am so "full-figured"!

Tomorrow I am going to start using "Dawn" dish soap. It says

right on the label "dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to

remove."

It pays to read the warning labels!!!!

A Father's Love...

2011-06-18T22:48:00.003-03:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Just recently saw/heard this video on our CCMTV (Canadian Country Music TV), sobbed and sobbed and sobbed and basically fell in LOVE with this song, immediately!!!

*sigh*

Really... listen to it and let the words sink in... *s*

Song by Bucky Covington called "A Father's Love".

Tell me what you think of it. *s*

Oh.... and here's a little story of sorts, that I wrote a while back...

Father's Day

Rosa

Stop and...

2011-06-16T21:09:00.011-03:00

Hi There!

I decided to take the afternoon off, as well as all day tomorrow.

As soon as I got home and had dinner - that's our noontime meal - I went into my sewing studio and decided to tackle a REAL old UFO (unfinished object).

It was my embroidered roses. I had started these probably in 2004 or 2005.
(Also read: Prairie Moon's Countdown)

I guess what kept it as a "UFO" was I couldn't figure out HOW to place them in a quilt and with what other fabrics, to match these blocks with their white backgrounds.
*scratching her head*

Kinda boring looking, all by themselves, on my design wall, eh?

But this last week, I realized that these blocks couldn't/wouldn't be the focal blocks... they HAD to be what I call the "plain" blocks!

And that's when I remembered the incredible stash of fabrics that my friend Elaine had sent me last year. I had just barely touched the surface of her gift with "My Pink Quilt" that I had made and the greens and burgundies would go FANTASTIC with my embroidered roses!

Would you believe that I have never really made 9 patch blocks? At least, I can't remember purposely making them for an big quilt.

These are the 2 color ways that I used.

Now, by 6h30 (approx.), these embroidered blocks, as well as the 9 patch blocks were all pieced together.

(Note: These are ALL 12 inch square blocks, BTW.)

I will be adding mini frames and bigger frames, to make this lap quit more "squarish".

Stay tuned.

Once again, Elaine, thanks for that wonderful fabric stash!!!

Rosa

Finished Project #5 - "My Fruity Ladies"

2011-06-12T21:48:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

During this past month or two, I've been close to finishing projects, yet there was always something holding me back.

Okay, I'll confess...
I've been procrastinating, once again!

*hangs her head in shame*

Well, I put my foot down and decided to finish these quilty projects.... once and for all!

Tonight, I finished the binding AND the label for
"My Fruity Ladies"!!!

Click on the back for a close-up of Gilbert's quilting.

This pantogram is called "Sunny Day".

Okay, here's a suggestion.

A few years ago, my Secret Pal, Jo had added these cute little cards, with her monthly gifties. I had put these cards away and this afternoon, while searching for something else, came across these cards.

The cards have a different quilt block, as well as the instructions on how to make it.

Since Gilbert and I have a clear plastic protector on our kitchen table, I've decided to bring these cards out and display them.

They're so pretty!

Hope you get to do a few quilty stitches this week!

Rosa

LOTS of "Eye Candy"!!!!

2011-06-10T21:28:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

My friend Barb did some cleaning up, lately. She wrote me an email and asked me if I wanted some of her magazines and books.

I replied, "SURE!!!"

I mean, did she REALLY think I'd say "no"?!?!?

*VBG*

Yesterday, her hubby dropped off TWO (double bagged) shopping bags filled with "Eye Candy"!!!

And some incredibly nice books!!!

Gilbert's already flipped through the one called "Fast & Fun Machine Quilting". A lot of their tips and tricks can be converted to longarm quilting.... and he's ESPECIALLY keen on Trapunto quilting!

He had seen this kind of result before,
but didn't know how to reproduce it.... till now.

*grin*

I'll keep you all posted on his trapunto!

Hope you have an excellent weekend!

Rosa

Finished Project #4 - "My Flower Pot"

2011-06-07T21:12:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

I just finished adding the label on "My Flower Pot".

This was a center panel, with side panels of leaves - instructions included - that my Secret Pal, Joyce, had sent me.

It took a while, but I finally got it put together and asked Gilbert to quilt it for me.

He and "Bertha", our longarm machine,
worked their magic on "My Flower Pot"!!!

Here's a picture of it, outside....
but the sun was setting.

It measures 39-1/2" X 40".

I don't think I'm the best at taking pictures, unfortunately...

Rosa

Finished Project #3 - "101 Civil War Fabrics"

2011-06-05T22:47:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

These 2 were done a couple weeks ago, but THIS was holding be back from calling it "Finished".

Its "label".

Apparently, a quilt isn't completely "finished" unless it has its label.

*grin*

Well, I wanted to make half square mini triangle blocks and since I was making a second block, every time, I figured, "What the heck - I might as well make a 2nd mini quilt, while I'm at it!"

Gilbert machine quilted these with "Bertha", our longarm machine. I asked him to to do a "cross hatch" pattern.

The blocks are approx. 1-1/2 inch square.

The finished size of this quilt is 12-1/2 inches X 13 inches.

But, IMHO, the most amazing thing about THIS quilt is that there are EXACTLY 101 different Civil War fabrics in this quilt!

Yep!!!

Doesn't look that way, but trust me... that's the total count!

*VBG*

Enough for tonight.

I have yet another quilt to bind and add it's label.
This one's a lap quilt.
Should be done sometime this week.

Stay tuned.

Hope you guys/gals have SUPER week!

Rosa

Finished Project #2 - Florida Pillow Cases

2011-06-05T20:20:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

While fabric shopping in Florida, I decided that I wanted to pick up some fabric with palm trees in it. I had a hard time finding some, till finally, in one of our last shopping spots, I grabbed some in Johann's!!!

Well, unfortunately, I didn't pick up enough to make the backs of these pillowcases.....

So, I had to wait and make a trip to Mardens, in Calais, to find some kind of coordinating fabric.

Here's the back of our pilllow cases.

It's not as dark as the picture. It's more like a (darkish) powder blue and it looks like clouds....

I figured with palm trees on one side and clouds on the other, these pillow cases would certainly provide us with pleasant dreams!

LOL

Rosa

Finished Project #1 - "My Civil War Mini"

2011-06-05T19:57:00.004-03:00

Hi There!

For various reasons, I've had a few nearly completed projects just hanging around. This afternoon, I decided to put my heavy foot down and GET 'ER DONE!

Let me introduce to you,
"My Civil War Mini"
(picture taken outside)

As you can see by the ruler on the left, the finished quilt measures 8-1/2 inches X 11-1/2 inches.

I paperpieced the snowballs and decided to add some embroidery on the border.... And, it's hand quilted by MOI!

And each snowball is approximately 1 inch square.

The label's on the back and......

TAH DAH !!!

One more quilty project that's FINISHED!!!

On to my next project!

Rosa

Tic, Toc... Tic, Toc...

2011-06-04T19:06:00.007-03:00

Hi There!

Last February, while in Florida, I went to visit a few fabric stores. While there, I picked up the funniest gal fabric, knowing full well that I would certainly find SOMETHING to make with it!

*VBG*

I even managed to pick up some coordinating pineapple fabric and some matching charcoal/black!

I've decided to finally make ME a lap quilt! And as this fabric reminds me of Frummie and Elaine, AND the fruit ladies are comical.... well, it's a cheerful, pick-me-up kind of quilt!

Here's the top of the quilt. Gilbert and "Bertha" - our longarm Gammill - did their magic on it, once again.

I selected our new pantogram called "Sunny Day" and it certainly showed up, on the back of the quilt!

Once I've finished binding it, I'll show you the completed pictures of this lap quilt, that I've named "My Fruity Ladies".

This evening, I tried making another "Blue Ocean" drink.

This time, I used:
1 shot of Blue Curaco
1 shot of Coconut Rum
1 small can of pineapple juice
1/4 cup of orange juice
and 1/4 shot of Grenadine.

It was fruity and tasty but instead of "Blue Ocean", it looked more like....

"Swamp Water"!!!

LOL

Oh?

Here's why the clock has been ticking, ticking, ticking....

One whole week of (almost) wasted time - practically NO sewing AT ALL...

"What was I doing?", you ask.

I was trying to figure out FaceBook!

Someone FINALLY explained to me why Gilbert and I needed to have a FaceBook "Page"... to help spread the word of "The 3 A Quilting".

Soooooooo..... with the help of family and friends, we've got somewhat of a "Page" started up.

Please be so kind as to visit us and YEP.....

"LIKE US",

as well....

Thanks!

Rosa

testing a "Like" button

2011-06-01T22:10:00.001-03:00

Testing a like button....

Today's Picture!

2011-05-28T23:41:00.003-03:00

Hi There!

Kinda felt bad 'cause I didn't post a picture, today.

Got this in an email, once again.

Have a great Sunday!

Rosa