Birthday weekend

Did you all have a nice weekend? We had sunny weather again, and I was so happy about that. Spring is here and it has been good to see the flowers blooming, and the trees turning green again. Saturday I took the kids for a walk behind the library, it’s full of ponds and walkways, and ducks :) There were a few baby ducks swimming around, so cute! Jessie wanted to take one home, but I am a mean mom and wouldn’t let her.

My birthday on Sunday was very nice and relaxing. I got an ice cream cake yum! I also got to take a long nap. After I woke up, I wondered why I don’t take naps more often? Here is a picture for you all, I am now 28 years old :)

I like how I didn’t even clear off my sewing machine from the table LOL!

I have decided I am going to start a new project (because I need another one). I had quite a bit of the threads in my stash, but ordered the rest from EHandcrafts. Mary Kathryn has wonderful service, so go check her site out! Here is what I kitted up to stitch.
Blackbird Designs: Sunflower House, perfect start for spring I think! :D I have been wanting to stitch this forever, and decided I should now.

I got a pretty good start on Dani’s NRR, I am doing a big castle. Fun Fun! I’ve never stitched a castle before.
In other good news I finished all of the rows for my Star Lights quilt, I even ironed them all. So now, I get to sew the long rows together and the top will be done. Woohoo! I’ll take pictures of it when I get further along. I also finished stitching my Fair and Square block for the 4th of July exchange.

Helping Hamsters Recycle

So, the new QSnap quilt frame works well, and I was able to get the two baby quilts finished this week! One is for my friend Lori, and the other for Corring. They turned out cute, and I put thicker batting in them so they are nice and cuddly. I was good even and used quite a bit from my stash to make them, go me! I am getting better about doing that. I like making baby quilts pretty big, so that they can be used for a longer time period.
I have 3 more baby quilts to make, so I had better get my act together :) I have two boy quilts, and one girl quilt to do. I have the fabric for them all too, so no excuses.

I’ve been working on Old McMary’s again, not only is there a lot of red, but green too! The big roof needs filled in now :D I think it’s a pretty design, I like it so far. I stitched on it quite a bit the other night while watching The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King. That is an excellent movie :) And long, so I got to stitch a lot LOL!

I’ve started stitching Dani’s NRR last night, there is a drawbridge so far :D

Curren cracks me up, this is a paper he wrote for Earth Day for school.

It says: Earth Day, April 22nd is Earth Day. To save the earth I will help hampsters resikl (recycle).
I thought it was soooo cute. I had to share, I hope it makes you smile too! I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and get to do some sewing or stitching! Thanks for taking the time to visit, I appreciate it :)

Marie's Gift

Marie made me the most gorgeous pinkeep for a birthday gift. She's so talented. I just can't imagine making things that look so perfect! She stitched a Mary Gary design :D

She also made this cute pin...

And this neat needle/thread holder, how cool is this?

I wish I lived closer Marie, that would be so fun to get together. I love the exchanges, I've met the most amazing people! You made my birthday a special day indeed! :)

In other news, I received the Q-Snap Quilt Frame, it's AWESOME! I wish I would have bought one sooner, it's so easy to use, move around, store. Very handy for someone with a small space :) I started tying a baby quilt on it last night and it really works well for me. Yay for good products!

New Layout

Can everybody read and see this new layout okay? I had SO MUCH FUN making it :D

I have some links below on my sidebar "Blog Graphics" of where and how I did this if anybody wants to make theirs like this as well!

Birthday gift from Stephanie!

I came home to 3 packages on my porch yesterday afternoon. I had one from Stephanie, one from Marie and one from EHandcrafts! I was so happy!

Stephanie had my name for the Birthday exchange board. I wasn't supposed to open it until my official birthday, which is Sunday the 27th... I'll blame it on Jessie, she grabbed the box, ran inside and opened it right up. I couldn't help but open it the rest of the way LOL!

Stephanie put together such a sweet package, I am still grinning from ear to ear. She stitched a finished a Shepherd's Bush Garden needleroll. It's so beautiful!

Also, she gave me two charts from my wishlist, yummy bath bubbles, chocolate, beautiful fabric bundles, and candles even! How fun is she?

Here is Jessie inhaling the soap she sent, it smelled like heaven. Mmmmm

Thank you Stephanie, you are wonderful!

I'll post about Marie's beautiful package tomorrow :D :D

And I had ordered some linens and threads from EHandcrafts, kind of a bonus huh? Gotta love more stash LOL!

Garden Exchange

I was lucky and got Judith's name for the SBEBB Garden Exchange :) I have been reading her blog for over a year and really enjoy the projects she makes, she loves to quilt too! I decided to stitch a Little House Needlework's chart for her called Plant Kindness. I finished it into a wallhanging. (my fave finish) and mailed it to her. I read on the exchange board she recieved it!

I worked on the Bent Creek Snapperville all weekend, I had fun with this one. Saturday and Sunday we stuck close to the house, so I was able to stitch on it for a long time. It was nice to relax for a few days.

LHN Pure in Heart

I finished the Pure in Heart! I think it is very sweet :) I have it in mind for a gift, but I am not telling :D

Little House Needleworks

Saltbox Threadpack: Pure in Heart

28 Count Sand Linen

I've been doing a little bit of stitching on Old McMary's. That barn is pretty dang big! I am stitching the outside, and then going back and filling it in while at work, it makes for easy stitching with no chart to follow :)


We don't have much planned for the upcoming weekend, the weather is supposed to get cold and rainy, opposite of last weekend. My skin is peeling from the sunburn I got. Weird Oregon weather.


Still working away at Star Lights quilt too, one row at a time :)

Meme

I saw this on Sweet Pea’s blog a few days ago...

1. How do you hold your fabric? In my hand, I kind of taught myself and never thought to use a Q-snap, so now that I’m so trained holding it my hand, I can’t use anything else.

2. Floss licker? Yes, it’s easier that way.

3. How do you thread your needle? Trim the end if necessary, lick the floss, and thread it through.

4. What needle do you like best? Don’t have a preference, as long as it’s not too sharp on the end.
5. Are you a needle loser? Not too bad, I usually keep a needle on every project I’ve got going. Otherwise I have a magnetic case for them to store in.

6. What fabric do you prefer to stitch on? 28 Count Linen or Evenweave. I like 32 count, but prefer 28, it’s just easier, I find I can stitch faster on it, and the thread lays better too.

7. Bobbins or floss bags? Bobbins

8. Are you a scissors collector? Not really, I do have several pairs now, my favorite are my Gingher scissors, they are so sharp.

9. Do you do your own framing, and if so, do you lace or pin? Lace it, that’s how I’ve learned to do it recently.

10. Are you a floss floozy? Mmmmm…. Floss. That’d be a yes.

11. Silk? I can’t afford silks much, I do have some, but not many.

12. Railroader? Nope.

13. Are you a pattern or designer snob? No, I do have some favorite designers, but if I like a pattern I’ll stitch it.

14. Do you get antsy when you give someone a stitched gift? No, because everybody likes what I make LOL!

15. Have you reached S.A.B.L.E.? I don’t understand this question.

16. Do you wash your projects? I NEVER have before. I do plan on washing The Four Seasons though. I don’t wash mostly because I use overdyed flosses now, and the fabrics I use are dyed too, so I get scared to dip it in water.

What is going on around here?

So many things to do… I am kind of at a stand still, because I have too many things to work on and I am not really sure which one needs my attention first. I wish I was one of those that could start something and not stop until it’s finished. I shouldn’t dwell on that because we all know that I can never be like that :) I’ve seen so many inspiring finishes lately!

Thee Handworks has just finished a beautiful quilt, I love it! AND she takes wonderful photos :)

Michelle at Cozy Egg finished her wedding quilt just in time for her anniversary… love the red and white!

Staci at Snippets and Stash has been stitching the cutest little birds, all free charts by the way. Yes, I saved them because I must stitch these!

Quite Quilted is celebrating her 200th post, and doing a giveaway for the cutest cards! Go check it out :)

I could go on and on really. I love everybody’s blogs. I’ve been bad about leaving comments lately, I feel rushed so much of the time.

I finished Flax Fields into a pinkeep (a big one) and bought a little plate stand for it to display on. I then wrapped it up and mailed it to my Great Aunt Phyllis. She has been through a lot lately with cancer, and is just getting home on her own. She is a light in my life that I love so much. I got off of the phone with her today and she just loved it. I am so happy that she does. I wish I lived closer to her, she’s in Utah. I would be visiting her often if I did. Her birthday is next week, so it was a welcome home gift and a birthday present all rolled into one :)
Here is a photo of us from Thanksgiving 2007. A few weeks before she had her surgery.
Other things I am working on right now… let me see…

I started LHN’s thread pack called “Blessed are the Pure in Heart”, and am close to having that done.
And I’ve been working on my Star Lights quilt. I’ve got 10 more rows to sew then I have to iron and sew the top together. I am loving this one so far! It has all of my favorite colors… red, blue, green… I am so predictable. I need to branch out of these colors a little, but I just can’t help it :)
I went ahead and ordered my QSnap quilt frame from JoAnn’s. I am looking forward to receiving it.

We had a great weekend, the weather was awesome! We went to Indian Beach and had a great time. And here's a photo of the crazy dog Sunny.

Happy Birthday Kids! and a small finish

It is my kid's birthday's. Yesterday Curren turned 7 years old!!!

Here's a then and now picture :D

And today Jessie turned 6 years old!!

And some more pictures.

They are so much fun, I love this age, it has been so fun. And for those of you wondering at the close birthdays... they are one year and one day apart :D

I also finished Flax Fields on Monday night. I love how it turned out. I think I'm going to attempt a pinkeep, the fabric you see by it is what I'll put on the back. I am pretty excited to try it out :)

Flax Fields & Baby Quilt WIP

WOW, thank you everybody for leaving such nice comments on The Four Seasons finish, you are all so great :D I am thrilled to be done with it.

I decided to start a smaller project called Flax Fields by Carriage House Samplings. I used the recommended DMC floss for this. It does call to use silk threads, but I about passed out at how much those cost, and for this small of a project I couldn't justify it LOL! So here is my progress so far...

And I started a baby quilt for my friend Lori. I made so many of these blocks, thinking it would be just enough, well it turned out to be too many, so I am making two of these now :D The blue and white fabric is from stash the yellow and green I bought for it. I'm going to sew a 2" border all of the way around and then tie it to finish it. I like the colors of it, it reminds me of a beach for some reason.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. Thanks for taking the time to stop by :D

The Four Seasons is Complete!

So, I was actually shaking when I was putting the final stitches in this tonight. It is officially done! I started this at the end of 2001, and finished it 4/3/08. It took 6 years for me to finally complete it. I worked on this through the pregnancy of Jessie, on many drives to the beach, and in the summer times for those several years. It taught me a lot about stitching too, as this was one of the first projects I started working on when I was learning. I love this piece and can't wait to get it framed to hang in my house :D I began with the bunch of crocuses and ended with gourds :D

Marjolein Bastin

The Four Seasons

18" W x 22" T

stitched on Aida cloth with DMC floss

I also changed the words on this, it had Marjolein Bastin on the chart, but I changed it to say "Four Seasons" I thought it was more fitting for my tastes.

Now I can focus in on some other projects. :D I am so happy!!!!

Thanks for cheering me on.

Here's more photos of it! Lots to look at :)

I’ve been a busy bee working when I can on The Four Seasons. I got more leaves stitched, and the bowl started at the bottom.

Marie, here is the full shot of it that you wanted to see.

Last night I went to my LNS, Acorns and Threads for a “Stitch In”. I’ve never been to one, you just come with a project to work on from 5-8 pm. You can do some shopping while you are there too, so I did get a few things :) I had fun seeing what other people were working on, and they helped me by motivating me even further to get The Four Seasons done. One lady said she’d been working on a project for over 10 years, so my 7 year project didn’t seem too bad :)