Just a mess........

........that's all I have to show

I'm working on several different projects at one time. I tend to do that. If I get bored with something, I'll go to something else. I guess that's how I get UFO's and WIP's.

It's been pretty low key around here lately. It's brutally cold outside. Like in the teens. We've been staying in. We did venture further up the mountain yesterday for a little shopping, they have snow piles in the parking lots that are as high as the buildings. Amazing!

I've done something to my right knee, it's super swollen and hurts like.....well you know, hurts bad! I must get it taken care of right away. I'm expecting a new Wii game I ordered last week to come tomorrow. Wii Sports Active.....gotta get some exercise to continue my weight loss. I've lost 21lbs....so, only about 200 more to go. lol

My very own sewing machine repair man.

calm down

don't be jealous

about every 3 months (or when we remember) he takes my sewing machine apart and cleans it all out, you've heard of dust bunnies, well my machine houses dust cows, their huge

and he oils everything that needs to be oiled (i have no idea what he oils)

just in case you ever wondered what the inside of your sewing machine "might" look like

you too can have your very own sewing machine repair man

Siggy blocks in process..

I've always been intrigued by siggy blocks. I've even had my fabric for my very own siggy blocks for quite some time. I had Hello Betty by Moda. Love this line. It's 1930's repro. So a few days ago on Rachel's blog from ps i quilt she had a siggy block tutorial. I knew this was my chance to start my own blocks. This tutorial is great, simple and easy. I've made probably 30 blocks so far.

NO, I don't know what I'm going to do with them. I don't really want to be in a swap and get siggy blocks from ten-buck-two signed Bernice. I mean that's nice and all, but who is Bernice? Ya know? Then I thought well, I'll mail them to everyone I want to sign my siggy block. Then postage came to mind, and would the person send it back in a timely manner, would they have the right pen to sign it with? Ya know? What's a girl to do?

So........I think I'll put it together just as if it were a "regular" siggy block quilt and "imagine" all my buddies names are signed to it. How does that sound? haha i crack me up sometimes.

And just in case you got a PSP (portable sony playstation) for Christmas and your not sure how you should sit and play it, see below........

my sweet E (sweet most of the time)

Go see my friend!!

Oh how exciting...my friend Debi from here in town has started a blog. She sews, draws and does photography. Her blog should be booming once she gets it going good with all those hobbies. So, head on over to Debi's Sewing and Stuff and show her some blog love.

A Tutorial of sorts....

........or just a better explanation of yesterday's blog of how I did that sweet baby quilt. This is how I learned to quilt, I know it's not the right way. So, please don't anyone alert the quilt police, cause they would be all over this.

I've said these are my favorite types of quilts to make, and I have several in progress. So, I choose one and this is how it goes.....

in this one, I'm using 1" strips. Jan from the UK so kindly cut all these for me and sent them my way. I love Jan!

I sewed the 7 of the 1" strips together and make a block 7x10

Then I took that block and place some batting behind it and quilted just that block.

Then sew those blocks into row and join them to your quilt already in progress. Here I'm showing you the front and back of the quilt. To make a "back" for the quilt, repeat above steps.

I'm terrible at explaining and teaching. Does this make any more sense? Other than, why in the world would you do it that way? It's just what seemed right to me when I was teaching myself. I do sew some stuff the "right" way of quilting. But, like I said yesterday, I really favor this way more. I can only assume it's because it's what I learned first.

I hope this helped everyone!

The batting I use is 100% Polyester Batting

Soft n Crafty

4oz. Weight

comes on a roll 48"x10yards

An OLD UFO Finished.....

Don't you just love the crinkle yummy-ness? I love a quilt after it's been washed and dried. Before you look to closely at this quilt and think "wow, she did a horrible job on this, and WHAT there's two quilting patterns going on there". This was one of my very first quilts I started 5 years ago. Remember, I said I was self taught. This quilt shows that. This is how I did it....I sewed my blocks together to the desired size I wanted, I made up like 20 blocks, and quilted each block separately. Don't know why I taught myself to do it that way, it just seemed right at the time. Then once I've quilted them all, I start sewing my rows. And, I did the back the same way, so it is quilted as well. Then I stitch in the ditch to have the whole quilt intact. Now, I know this isn't the right way, and if it were to ever be entered into a quilt show they would laugh their butts off at me. But, that's OK.......I love it and it works for me. I have learned how to quilt the right way and do that most of the time. However, I have to be honest and say I like my way much, much more. I don't have to worry that during the quilting process the back of the quilt is going to wrinkle or pucker. And, doing them this way I'm able to make much bigger quilts.

Another win prize has arrived to me....

this is it....I won 3 in a row, this is the final prize. How cute are these gingerbread men? I won this from Anette. And Miss. Anette is Jan's daughter. They are great people. Thanks so much for this prize. And.....Gene Black also won from this giveaway.