Show Me Some Snow

We left yesterday (Saturday) to take Sarah back to Penn State. Since it's 5 hours up and 5 hours back from our house, we like to leave after dinner and drive to Harrisburg, PA and stay overnight. So, this is what Harrisburg looked like this morning at 9am when we were starting our trek to State College..... Rain, rain, and yet more rain.

So, we get to State College and drop her off at the dorm and head out on the 5 hour return trip to NJ..... Snow!!! All I wanted to see was some snow and Pennsylvania did not disappoint me today..... I guess in one part of the state it was raining and a different part was snowing. I love the snow and would not be at all unhappy if I had to spend some quality time at home, in jammies, in the snow sewing :) Now, hubby has a different view on the snow since he's the one that would have to do all the shoveling and since they don't cancel work like they cancel school, he'd have to drive thru it all the time......

So, we are back and while hubby drove, I checked out 2 new magazines I got this weekend. American Patchwork & Quilting and Quilts & Gifts, both Better Homes and Garden magazines.... I have lots of ideas for last minute gifts rolling around in my head now......

Yesterday, before we left town, I finished a baby quilt that I need for probably March. It's for a teacher in school who's expecting her first baby. I picked these bright colors without knowing that she's looking for black and white for the baby room so I done good picking a pattern and color scheme.....

I think since it's early I might work on a few Christmas "surprises" for some lucky girlies I know.

What a Deal

Have you ever put off going to the quilt shop because you think you're going to spend more than you should on something you don't need? Well, that's how I felt yesterday.

But, I ran out of supplies for a secret project I'm doing for 2 sisters that read my blog so I can't tell you what I ran out of.....so, around 5:00 hubby started asking what's for dinner and the girls said chinese. I took that opportunity to tell him I was running to the quilt shop for the supplies and I'd pick the chinese up on my way back....which only gave me about 20 minutes to shop. PERFECT!!! I found what I needed and when I went up to check out I remembered reading the newsletter in the morning and Debbie mentioned having some new and used machines for sale in the classroom....so I went in and peeked. This bad boy was sitting there with a sale tag that said $129.00....could that really be the price? I went out to ask Debbie and she immediately walked back with me and confirmed the price. Well, as you can tell, it's not at Debbie's anymore, it's at my house :) I tried explaining to hubby that I'm always lost when I take my Bernina Artista in to the spa and have nothing to sew with, which didn't fly with him because he knew I had an Elna, a 1924 Singer Featherweight and also the machine on my Grace Frame....but for the price he said I got a good deal and immediately set er up for me.....

I think I'll try it out today before we leave to take Sarah back to Penn St at 5.....

Hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoy the weekend...

Peggy

It sure was COLD today in NYC!!! Here's a picture of the girls just before we crossed the street to go see the Christmas show.....

Since the show was at 10am we drove straight there and then afterwards we walked a few blocks to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. They have the best appetizers and salads !!!

We sat near Freddy Mercury's shirt and not far from Jim Morrison's pants....

We dropped Jen at her apartment around 3:30 and then came home....I did a little bit of sewing.

I think last week I showed you the Moda "Portugal" charm pack I had and the cute "Button Bag" pattern....Well, this is my button bag. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it but I love the fabrics so for now I'll just leave it in here where I sew and look at it...

Sarah, youngest daughter in red jacket above, brought home the "Twilight" series of books so I think I might clean up my room and do a little sewing on the binding on a quilt then start the book....

How was your weekend?

Peggy

3 Posts in one day

Yes, 3 posts in one day.....





So, today is "finish er up" day in my sewing room.
Anything I find laying around is going to get finished up and put where it belongs.


My 2 sisters have birthdays in November so I decided to make them both tablerunners or tabletoppers. I finished the binding on this one just now. The other one is already finished and ready to be given to the appropriate sister....




Now what can I work on?????

Guess Where I'm Going on Sunday?

Guess where I'll be tomorrow??? Yes, hubby got 4 tickets to Radio City Music Hall so him, I and the girls are heading into the city to see the Rockettes!!!! I have seen the show before, probably 4 years ago or so but I could watch those girls dance every year !!!! I know I can't take pictures inside the show but with luck I'll get some NYC pictures....

Instant Gratification

I knew I wanted to use these fabrics that I'd gotten from Michelle for my birthday last year NOW but I didn't know what I wanted to do with them so I went thru my pattern bin and found a really simple checkerboard type runner. and figured I could get "instant gratification" if I made that so after lunch I cut into them and sewed the runner up for my oldest daughter for her new apartment....... This might be a first for me....ya know, being finished with a holiday project BEFORE the holiday actually got here!!! I'll give it to her Thursday when she comes for Thanksgiving.....

HUMONGOUS MAIL DAY

Talk about a good mail day.....

I do 2 Blocks of the month with Main St Cotton Shop . The first is from the Pint Size Traditions II book. It's called "RADIANT STAR". I'm going to enjoy doing this one. The second one is from the "Room by Room" club and is a flannel kit called "The Easy Block" from the Country House Quilts book. I am not even putting this kit away, I'm going to cut into this bad boy this week!!!

Then my fairly godmother aka Robin surprised both Michelle and I with this really cute "Christmas Gift Bag" pattern by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberries Stitches! Not only did she send us the pattern, she included the fabric and iron on pellon. All we have to do is sew the darn thing up! I may have to do some tracing and cutting tonight!!!

I also found this cute magazine in the Shop Rite today when I went for some taco makings, and what's nice is I found 2 small projects in it that I think i have to make for my sistas for Christmas!

I'm just wondering if I'll have enough time to do half the stuff I want to do for the holidays?

Oh, and lastly, on Saturday I received the blocks from the brown, cream, turquoise swap that I did with one of my yahoo groups. I must say, I got a lot of very nice blocks......

I will NOT be able to even fondle these blocks for some time. I have a few more things on my agenda to do before I can even think about doing these..... What do you think about setting them, any ideas?

A Giveaway

Jennifer is having a blog giveaway...you should check it out since she's got a few really cute things on it.
http://sweetlibertygrace.blogspot.com/2008/11/announcementand-giveaway.html

Peggy

Sunday Sewing

Here's a peek into what I've been working on for the last 2 hours....One of the teachers in school is pregnant and I knew I wanted to make her a quilt and I knew exactly which pattern I wanted to use. The pattern is called "Checkerboard Twist" and it's in the Winter 2008 new Fons & Porter magazine called "Easy Quilts". I just got the 6 rows laid out but need to cut and assemble the rest of the checkerboards for the border. I'll post a picture hopefully later of the finished top. This is just a peek at what I am hoping will be a really cute crib quilt.

I also found my "Button Bag" pattern...it was hiding in the pattern bin!!! I thought I looked for it there but when I saw the pattern again today down at the quilt shop I knew right where it was. Because it's one of those little 5 inch pattern packs I had to look in a different fabric bin. I think I will make one of these bags using a charm pack I bought from Moda in the "Portugal" line...VERY pretty fabrics and I think they'll make a super cute button bag.

I found a few fat quarters today that I wanted for another small zippered bag. What's funny about the bag I want to make is I mentioned to Robin and Michelle that I wanted to make a bag but couldn't find the pattern anywhere. I knew the name of the company that put the pattern out but had never heard of it....WELL DUH!!! It's by This & That Pattern Co. That's the same company that put out the Button Bag pattern!!!

Well, Robin is like a dog with a bone...she can find anything! She found the pattern online and not only found it, ordered it for us too!!! What a gal....So, now all I have to do is wait for the pattern to arrive and start making them.

So, what did you do today?

Peggy

Barb's Blog

Hey everyone...
I've gone and corrupted yet another quilting friend.
Barbara lives in NJ near me and along with another friend of hers is doing the "All Roads Lead to the Sea" BOM. Well, Barb follows my blog to see how I am doing and we've been emailing back and forth. Well, she created herself a blog so I thought I'd put a link to it here so you can go and say hi to her....
http://pinelandspatches.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html----check her out and say hi!

Peggy

Log Churnie Top

I couldn't wait to take a picture of this quilt....This is the 2nd of 4 that I'm having quilted... Isn't this the cutest? I really enjoyed doing these little log cabins and churn dash blocks over the year or two that we did them but I enjoyed setting them more.Thank you Michelle for loaning me a few of your leftovers so I could get them set and not have to stop and make more of each.....and for giving me the idea on how to set them...

I thought I might have a picture somewhere of Michelle's top but if I do I can't find it......

What a gorgeous day

What a gorgeous day it is outside....Makes me want to fire up the oven and bake cookies and throw a roast beast in beside it.... I think I'll pass on the cookies though since neither hubby nor I really NEED them here to munch on, but I did just run to the grocery store and buy a small roast!

So, here's a picture of my yard....the lawn that was green last week and the leaves on the trees were red and orange not dead and making my yard all crunchy and covered in leaves.

I guess when the temperatures are about 48 during the day and cooler at night that's what you get :)

On the sewing front....I've been very busy! I rounded up 4 quilts 2 weeks ago that were in all states of "finish". One was still in the baggie, which was the Jamestown that I finished and mailed to the longarmer yesterday. I sent her 3 others the week I made all the finishing touches to them and got 2 back last week. The one I picked first to do the binding on is called "Maddies Flower Garden". I did a swap of 12 of the blocks with an online yahoo group of girls probably 3 years ago at least. My 2008 New Years resolution was to finish the top and get it quilted by June....First I had to make quite a few more of the blocks to bring it up to a size I liked and then I had the assembly process....I did get it done and even had the finished top with me at retreat in Indiana in May and assembled the piano key border there.

I don't know why it just sat and sat but 2 weeks ago I knew that if I didn't do something then that it would not be done by deadline so I sent it out with the other 2 quilts and voile....it came back, I added the binding and even tacked it down already!!! YES ladies, I have a finished quilt!!!

Here is Maddies Flower Garden in all it's splendor thrown over the back of my family room couch.

I'm going to take some time this afternoon to attach the binding to quilt #1 which doesn't have a name but is a Thimbleberries only fabric Log Cabin and Churn Dash quilt! The blocks are all 6 inchers and I did a year long swap monthly with the same yahoo group of those blocks. I will post more pictures of that one once I get somewhere with it....

Now....who will be the lucky recipient of Maddie?

Hope you are all enjoying your Veterans Day. I know I will since it's my last day off of 6, yes, count em 6..... I do have the 21st off but that's Penn State day...gotta go pick up "the face"....

AKA Sarah :) She wasn't happy that I called her "the face" when I posted pics of her back in August so maybe this time she'll be a smilin and I'll get a better picture of her......

But, in the meantime, here's a picture of both of my girls....Jen is on the left and Sarah on the right. I think I took this in Orlando back in August.....ain't they beautiful??????

Ok, enough fooling around, lunch time and some binding to sew on!!!

Peggy

Veterans Day

Yes, it is Veterans Day after all so I want to thank any and all veterans out there for any part you had in making our country the great country that it is today.

I have some veterans in my family, some with us and some no longer alive. I have a friend who's husband is still in the service and who was deployed not too long ago....We thank him and all of his serviceman for a job well done!!!

I don't think we can thank all our veterans enough for all they've done!!!

Another one bites the dust

So, last Sunday I decided to finish my Jamestown quilt. I showed the layout at that time and then all week just kind of sat and twiddled my thumbs because I ran out of fabric to do the 4 corner triangles. Well....yesterday while I was home the fabric came, I washed and ironed it and today I got it all done.... I LOVE how this top came out.....I thought it would be kinda small but upon measurement just now I find it finished up to 86 x 92!!! I do have someone in mind already for it so I best get the backing done and quilted.......

I am going to do myself a favor tonight before I put it off and then never do it....I'm going to cut the binding and have it all ready for when it's done being quilted.....

Peggy

yes, more foliage

Yes, more foliage....this is what I see from my sewing room window! It's in my next door neighbor's yard but I look at it all day when I'm in here sewing.

I am off from work for 6 whole days....Today and tomorrow are teacher's convention and then we have Veterans Day off...I don't go back to the working grind until Wednesday the 12th...can you hear me cheering here?

So, one of the blogs I check every day is Pat Sloan's. She has an interview with one of the Piece O Cake girls and also has some pictures of her quilts...Well, I gotta have this one:

This is the cutest quilt I think I've ever seen!!! I love the ice cream cone house and the barn just below Santa.... I am thinking it might be a ton of work but a little bit o work every few weeks would make for short work now wouldn't it?

Has anyone out there actually done this quilt??? Wonder if I should write to the designer, maybe she's got an extra hanging around she'd like to donate to me? LOL

Peggy

I love the Fall

This is why I think I'll always live on the east coast....

I love how my yard looks when the leaves change different colors when it cools off.

We actually had snow one day during the week but nothing accumulated in my neck of the woods, other parts of NJ did get a lot and I'm told it accumulated! I am anxiously awaiting our first snow storm!!!

Here's what I'm working on.....

Lemme see if I can get all the facts straight on this....Back I think in 2006 Michelle sent Robin and I the pattern and fabric every month to do this "Ramblin Rose Meets Jamestown" BOM. The fabrics are gorgeous but I got bogged down crabbin and complainin that I had to do something like 23 or 24 log cabin blocks. I got half done, school opened, the bag of fabric and blocks got shoved into a cabinet and there they stayed until about 6 weeks ago. At that time I was searching for something else and came across 2 unmade blocks. I made one and then half made the other..... Today in my cleaning frenzy I found the half made block on top of the fabric and decided I'd set them, if I could! I laid the blocks out on pointe and then started playing with the log cabins, which happened to fit nicely, and only had to fix 1 block (can you see which one?) Michelle C found it and alerted me to it before I had sewn too far on the top... I auditioned a green for the first border and the black for the final border. Only thing I didn't foresee is not having enough of the tan floral to make the 4 corner triangles so I quickly ordered that (thank heavens a shop online had enough) and now to wait and see when that comes. I'm hoping to finish the top assembly tonight and since I am off Thursday and Friday for teachers convention, I can maybe attach the borders then.....

How has your weekend been?

Peggy