Tree Time BOM #4

I just love doing these and I think I will have serious withdrawals when this BOM is over. Maybe Molly will be willing to give me therapy when this is over since it's all her fault.

I am now convinced I need to re-do BOM #1 for the 3rd time. It's to wrinkly and I've found putting a stabilizer behind the fabric is helping with this. Especially, since I'm using my machine and not hand stitching.

Got Buttons?

(my button collection)

I'm finding myself becoming addicted to buttons. Guess the addiction could be worse huh?

I had less than 20 buttons when I started the "Tree Time BOM". I asked my mom if I could have half of her buttons. Well, she brought me all of hers. Then at the fabric store, they have bins and bins of buttons for $.02 each. We counted out 200 buttons. What's with this addiction? I don't know either, but I'm loving it.

I'm so sore.........

Today we did a "real" hike. Straight up the side of the dam on the lake.

Actually, it wasn't straight up, it was zig zagged up the mountain. However, it was all still up hill.

Once at the top, we walked across the damn and back down the other side. We figured it was about 2 miles and it took us 45 mins. Me, mom and TJ. I'm so sore!

I have been sewing, just not much to show. I'm selling the capri sun bags, coin purses and wallets like hot cakes. So, that is really keeping me busy. I've recently found something that will take the goo off from where the straw is attached to the pouch, so that takes times as well.

This picture is my new profile picture. It's me and mom at the Moses H. Cone Plantation house on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a beautiful place, sits on 3600 acres and has 25 miles of walking trails. It was much cooler on this mountain today than ours.

Mom is loosing weight as well, she's lost about 35 lbs, my total as of today is 43 lost.

GO US!

Embroidery

Does anyone have any easy ways to rip out embroidery stitches?

Or do you just trash it and move on?

It's almost impossible to get them out.

Serious Replies and Comments only please..

So, we needed a "beach" bag for our upcoming vacation.

I have a blue-million of Capri Sun bags saved up.

So here's what I came up with. My question to you is.......

Do you think this beach bag would make my butt look big?

I wanted to take a picture outside, but the monsoon has arrived.

I think this bag will be perfect for 50 towels, 10 changes of clothes, and snacks while we are at the pool.

We're heading to Pigeon Forge in 2 weeks to stay at the Wilderness Lodge. It has a HUGE indoor water park. So, the first week in April we'll be enjoying the water. Plus the advantage of it not being peak season and hopefully, not busy.

Remember to answer my question. Let's make it even more fun.

I will make a "custom" Carpi Sun Bag to the person that has the best answer for my question. I'll let you tell me how big you want it, and if you prefer a special color. I'll let you know what colors I have. And I'll send it to you. My husband and myself have a great sense of humor, so this should be fun.

Can anyone help me, please?

Does anyone have this, or any embroidery software?

After learning I could not use the disk to install this on my computer (because it does not support Vista or 7). I install the program and the driver from Brother. However, I have a minor problem. I did some research and thought I had it fixed. When I take out the card it came with and insert my "download-able" card it says, "this card can not be used on this machine". Well in my research, the error message said to change the frame, that the frame size was too big. No such luck. Anyone have any ideas? This is making my head hurt. I want it to work so BAD!

UPDATE: (the next morning) Thanks Tango! Your the best!

Tree Time BOM #3

I love doing these. I think most are doing them by hand, but she urges us to make them our own, so I'm using my machine. ;)

I didn't blog BOM 1&2, but you can see them if you click on the flickr box on the right.

I should be quilting......

Normally, I make a quilt top and then sandwich and baste it and quilt and it's done. I guess somewhere along the lines I forgot that's what I used to do and let 6 quilt tops pile up.

oopsie.......

I sandwiched and basted (needle and thread) all these quilt tops. And I still didn't get to my turtle quilt. Oh my gosh, I had no idea that was last June. I am so ashamed. I should have sandwiched and basted that one first and it's still in a box. I'm getting it out right now and moving it to the top of the stack. geessshhhh..

In my own defense, it did take awhile to find some backing fabric. I found some of the blue/polka dotted fabric as is on the front.

Remember (i know this will be hard for some of you) in school when you had to keep up with a baby doll, or a raw egg? I never had to do that, thank goodness, but knew kids who did. Well, E has to keep up with this cabbage plant. He has to record details of this plant and pictures online weekly. Then come Sept, whoever has the BIGGEST cabbage plant, including all the leaves will win a prize and I think I read that it's $1,000.00.............just read it again, it's $1,000.00 Scholarship. And in reading it again, the teacher will choose who's in the biggest in the class, that's sent in and then a drawing will determine the "state" winner. Wow, what a small chance of winning. But, anywho..........should be fun to watch this thing till Sept. He brought it home in a very small peat pot. We moved it to it's new mansion. I'll keep you all updated as well with the cabbage. Maybe we should name it? I'll ask E if we can.

Le Creuset Bake ware Giveaway

This out of the norm for me. I don't blog about other's giveaways. However, this one is different. Who couldn't use more bake ware. This comes from The Gluten Free Mom's blog. I have Celiac Disease and have to eat Gluten Free. Do any of you have any idea how hard that is? NO, bread, pizza, pasta, croutons, hamburgers, hotdogs....and the list goes on and on. It's almost impossible to eat out. However, I like most anything, make it work. I really enjoy this blog and all the insight to Gluten free and Celiac Disease. Click on her blog above for a chance to win if you like.

Want to join a "no-sew" block swap?

If you see my prior post, you'll see my completed Green No-sew block quilt top.

Cecelia is going to host a red-white-blue stars block swap. The reason it's called no-sew is....you pick out a star block from a certain website she will provide and depending on how many swappers join in, you'll cut enough fabric to send each person in the swap enough to make one block. They will assemble the block, thus meaning no-sew. Now, once you get all your blocks, you'll sew. Make sense?

If your interested go here and let her know. I'm in!

No Sew Green Block Swap.......

quilt top is done...yah

Now, mine will not look like anyone else's. Not even a chance. I screwed this thing up so bad. I had one block that only finished 11" instead of 12". I'm sure it was something I did. So, I trimmed them all to 11". On some of them it really trimmed off to much. I even flipped some of them the wrong way for the top. I actually really like how this turned out.

I really need to stop making quilt tops and quilt the stack I have. It's out of control.

However, I have a Scooby Doo quilt in the works and need to get it finished. So the stack will have to wait a bit longer.

Bear Tracks

OH MY..........

i found out tonight they don't call it "bear tracks" for nothing.....

for me, it was a real bear to put together

and it was totally my fault

i woke up this morning with a migraine

the meds (zomig) will totally knock out the migraine and your mind with it

i'm good for nothing the rest of the day

i started to come out of the "fog" about an hour ago, so i thought i'd try a few no sew green blocks

this is what the bear tracks should look like....

here's what mine looks like........

......and i'm totally ok with it

Two words..........

Green = Yummy

Blocks for the No-Sew Green Block Swap

OK, just imagine that upper left hand corner block is dark green in the middle, and just a tad lighter on the corners. Sorry about the picture. I've managed to get these four completed, other than trimming them up a bit. These are so fun!

Only 8 more to go. But, guess what? I can't find the block I left for myself. I'm sure it's here somewhere and if not, I have plenty of the fabric I used to send to everyone else.

Hopefully, I'll get a few more done tonight. E had a really bad day at school, so I'm not sure how much I'll get done. I might have to wait for him to go to bed, and then work. Bless his heart....it breaks my heart. I'll stop now, or I'll be in tears. Ya'll just remember my E in your prayers.

More Dresses and other stuff...

WOW, Wednesday since I last posted. Shame on me!

But, I have been busy, I promise.

walking

gym

blowing leaves out of the back yard and cleaning off the deck

more walking

more gym

getting some Kentlee love

very little sewing

appliqueing

playing with E on these beautiful sunny 50 degree days

taking E to the skateboard park (that's a hoot)

more walking

more gym

very little shopping :(

turning people into the police (shame on me again)

making "tree time" BOM's (see images on the right)

Here's more dresses in various stages through the process. I'm really enjoying these so much.

My cousin has now fell in love with the yo yo maker and here's what she did for me. She borrowed mine and now wants her own. This was her fabrics. However, this week, I sent her home with a stack of mine, since she's making them for me.

So, here's why I turned 3 ladies into the police. We were eating lunch yesterday and 3 ladies came in wanting a seat by the window. They argued and argued with the waitress over which table would be the best to "see". Then the oldest lady yells...."we got a baby in the car". Me and TJ stopped dead in our chewing. I asked TJ just to be sure I heard what I thought I had. Yep, that's what she said. Within 5 mins we were ready to leave. I told TJ then, I was calling the police. It was in the 30's yesterday and we still have tons of snow on the ground. To cold to have a baby in the car. I don't care if it was asleep or not. If your that hungry, you'd better hit a drive thru and not a sit down BUFFET. We left and as I was about to call 911, there was a police sitting in his car watching traffic next door. We told him and he was very alarmed. Before we could get out of the parking lot (I did not want to hang around to see what was going to happen, I'd imagine there's now a DSS investigation) he was over there looking at the baby and going into the restaurant. I know I did the right thing.

See you in June....

The Dr. should never leave anything "up to" me. haha

Nothing major showed up on the MRI. However, he still thinks I have a small tear that is not visible. He gave me two options: let him "scope" around and repair the tear, or try some physical therapy and readdress this in June. DUHHHH........see ya in June Doc.

Seriously, he said the physical therapy would either help or make it worse. I would know right away if it was going to make it worse. Now......I'll check out this physical therapy, but if I have to pay my copay twice a week, I'll have to abort that. My best guess and the docs, he'll be "scoping" around in my knee after June. *fingers crossed it don't get much worse before then, if it does I'm to call him for a quicker appt* I can still walk with minimal pain. Just no weights or squats, nothing that makes my knee completely bend.

My mom looked at me like I was crazy when I told her my decision. haha..........

See You in June Doc. (i hope)

Summer Attire Required Finished

I showed this as a quilt top the other day. Now it's completed. I wasn't sure how to quilt it, I started 2 different times to quilt it and didn't like it. So, I just echoed around each swim suit piece. I love the back even more than the front.

Another quilt for the children's home.