Happy Halloween!!

I hope you have a fun Halloween enjoying whatever activities you have planned!  I plan on just passing out candy to any and all trick or treaters that come our way.
Here are some photos of our our cute little pumpkin :)

Have a great day!!

I Finished the Sewing Part!

I never thought I would be shopping at The Home Depot for quilting supplies!  I needed a working staple gun and upholstery adhesive for my tuffet project.  The staple gun I've put to good use but I ended up not needing the upholstery adhesive as that step of the process was already done for me in my kit!  Ah well - I should've checked my supplies better.

The eight wedges are all sewn.  I have to say, the sewing part of this tuffet making was as slick as can be!  The pattern included a fusible foundation that I ironed onto muslin.  I then sewed all the fabric strips on to that which helps all the pieces align correctly - so nice!

Once all of the wedges were sewn, they then had to be sewn together.  In the photo below you can see the beginnings of my tuffet!  Tomorrow I hope to show you pictures of the finished project!  After all of my stewing about the fabric, I am loving the colors!

Have a great day :)

Tuffet Progress

I got five of the eight wedges sewn together yesterday on my tuffet.  I hope to get it sewn together today and really hoping my hubby will help me finish putting it together this weekend!  I need to check my supply list and make sure I have everything :)

Have a great weekend!!

Miniature English Paper Piecing

I like to have some hand sewing to work on in the evenings while I watch Survivor :)  I've nearly finished the wool project I was working on, (which is a Christmas gift, so pictures later!) so I pulled out a UFO - a miniature English Paper Piecing project I began several years ago.  I'm determined to finish it!  I have ideas floating in my head of a small border with wool appliqué....
You can see in the photos below how small these pieces are compared to my thumbnail!  Tiny stuff....

Tuffet Time

I finally started on my tuffet yesterday but only made it this far. I'm still second guessing on the fabric choices and probably today will go up and rearrange the some more.  I ironed the fusible pattern onto my muslin and got my eight wedges cut out so I'm ready to sew!

Wish me luck!  And have a great day!

(Did I tell you I signed up for an online iQuilt class with Sharon Cole on Tuffet making?  I'm finding it VERY helpful :)

Future Fabric Collector

Need help organizing your stash?  My cute little granddaughter will be happy to help!  I'm so glad that she's learning to love fabric at such a young age :)

Also, you must go check out these tuffets at: http://www.quiltviews.com/take-a-look-at-these-tuffets
I can hardly wait to show you mine, when it's finished.... Have a great day!!

Gifts

Here are a couple of gifts I received recently from my Mom and my brother.  My Mom gave me the Precious Moments thimble for my collection and the little Santa that looks like a bobbin!  My brother brought me a thimble from Nashville!  The only time I've been to Nashville was when I was 14 years old and I didn't collect thimbles then.... Thanks to you both!!
My Mom also gave me pewter scissors and some sewing machine pins :)

Top Golf

Recently while in Salt Lake City and again in Denver we went to Top Golf.  I think of it as a cross between a driving range and a bowling alley. It's REALLY fun!  As you can see, we have a table and you can order food, but instead of bowling, we take turns hitting golf balls at targets out in the "range".  There are several different games you can choose from to play as well.  Also, there are three different floors so we had people above us hitting balls off of the 2nd and 3rd floor.

The computer keeps score for you, similar to a bowling alley.





The picture below is from the second level in Denver.  This is just so much more fun than a driving range and a great way to spend time with the family :)

And a much safer place to bring the baby too!  Then she can tease Uncle Jon when he makes a bad shot :)



Tomorrow.... I am going to start my tuffet!!  We've been so busy, but this week doesn't look as busy so stay tuned for tuffet news :)

Polish Pottery

We were over in the Denver area this week so I talked my hubby into stopping at the Polish Pottery Outlet in Englewood.  He took this picture and added this meme of his thoughts when he first saw the store.

Oh my goodness - it was a feast for the eyes.  I absolutely love this stuff!  One of the women who works there said, "Every time I open my kitchen cupboard I feel happy."  My thoughts exactly :)

Each piece is an individual work of art, hand painted by an artist in Poland.  They are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, freezer safe etc.  My mission was to add to the collection that we started for my birthday.  This is early Christmas!

We were there awhile.... SO many beautiful works of art to see!!

This little pumpkin came home with us.

Look at these gorgeous place settings!

Below is a quote from this weeks' Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word.  You can hear the whole piece tomorrow on their broadcast.  It's called Art Matters.

Art Matters "Art can be powerful and stirring, and it can be quiet and simple. It can move us and calm us. It can inspire and console us. Art helps us to ponder life’s great questions and appreciate its lighter side. It can lift us when we’re feeling down and open our eyes and hearts to the needs of those who suffer. Indeed, the arts illuminate the human condition, fostering more empathetic people and more compassionate communities. This is what art can do for individuals, families, and entire communities. It can help us better understand each other, ourselves, and our place in the universe. The arts both explore and express what it means to be human and to feel the wonder and beauty of life." Music and the Spoken Word And if all of that didn't make you smile, then this certainly will!  Have a great day!

Four Ways to Choose Happiness

Here is a quote for today which I find inspiring:

Four Ways to Choose Happiness 

1. Be grateful 

2. Praise the good in others

3. Reach out and be a friend

4. Avoid discouragement 

Larry R. Lawrence

March 8, 2016

And... Patricia commented on my wool post and asked how I secure the appliqué pieces to the background before stitching. I use a fusible web product: either Steam a Seam 2 or Heat N Bond Lite. Both have worked well for me. I use a steam iron and follow the manufacturer's instructions (except I do not usually use a pressing cloth, I find it works better for me to just press directly on the wool.) I hope that helps! Happy stitching!

Wool Appliqué

Every once in awhile I see pictures of "the view from my quilt studio" on other quilter's blogs or newsletters.  Well, my quilt studio window overlooks our driveway, but certain times of the year I must say my view can be pretty spectacular :)

I've been working on a wool appliqué piece (yes, I'm finally doing some wool appliqué again!) for a gift.  What is fun for me with wool appliqué is that one can get really creative with stitches and embellishments.  Sue Spargo is an excellent example and if you need ideas, her books are fantastic!

This flower has yellow rick rack around the center, stitched down with red thread.  the purple flowers below have tiny purple flower buttons in the centers.

You can get creative with embroidery stitches too.  I keep an embroidery stitch book handy so I can look up stitches as I am working.  One of my favorites is:  The Right-handed Embroider's Companion by Yvette Stanton. (There is a left-handed version available, and if I remember correctly I ordered mine from Amazon.)

Have a wonderful day!!

Calling All Peanut Butter Lovers

Have you ever said, "I wish someone would invent...." because you have a great idea and want "someone" to make it? Well, my son-in-law had a great idea and instead of just wishing, he made it happen!  It's the perfect peanut butter knife for all of us peanut butter lovers and he has a Kickstarter campaign going right now that you can check out at:

http://www.pbjife.com

You can also watch a video of the great features of this new knife and if you feel so inspired you can join the Kickstarter campaign and own your very own!  Go check out the PBjife - it could change your life!  Have a great day :)

Crazy Fun Football

It's football season for all of you football fans!  Friday night my hubby and I went, with some friends, to a BYU football game (our alma mater).  We stayed at a hotel across the street from the stadium so we had a parking place (always an issue) and could just walk over.  Somehow we ended up in the BYU super fan room! Not only did we sleep in a BYU bed, but the whole room was decorated with BYU paraphernalia.  It was kind of fun - got us excited for the game :)

We only got to sleep in that bed for about 5 hours though because the game went into double overtime, so it was a late one!

We got a little band concert before the game as we were waiting for our friends. (They were probably trying to find a place to park...)

The game was so close which made it all the more exciting. Then, when BYU won in the second overtime, the fans were so excited they rushed the field.  We just watched the fun as I think we're too old to go leaping over the sides to get on the field.  It sure made for a fun, exciting game though!  Go Cougars!

Ami's Amazing Puzzle Ball

I decided to make Ami's Amazing Puzzle balls for the birthday girl.  This pattern is by Ami Simms and can be found here:
http://www.amisimms.com/puzzleball.html

I have to say this pattern is one of the very best I've followed.  The directions were very clear, with pictures and precise instructions.  Once again, I'm stepping out of my box here and making a three dimensional, non-quilt item!  I was so pleased with the pattern and instructions I think I need to email Ami and tell her what a great job she did :)

This is the first one I made and it is size large.  There are four sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large.  I made two smalls, two larges and three medium sized balls.  I gave the birthday girl one of each size, including this one with the cupcakes on it, kept three for our "toy box" and gave another one to a friend's baby.

They really weren't too difficult to make, just a little time consuming.  The smaller size wasn't any harder to make than the larger sizes either.  I did not make an extra-large ball.  I felt like the large one was big enough for her little hands.  Each ball has 12 triangle parts that you sew by machine, then they are stuffed and sewn shut by hand and put together by hand using embroidery floss.

The day after the party, my husband and I were in a bookstore in Salt Lake and we saw, in the children's section, a ball that looked very much like these!  It did not come apart like a puzzle, however it did have some noise making things inside, such as a bell, some crinkly sounding stuff etc.  so when the baby grabs a triangle it makes a different sound.  Something to keep in mind for the next time I make some!  I think she would really like them to make some noise :)  The one at the bookstore cost $25!  It does not cost that much to make them.

The ball on the left in this picture is all taken apart.  They are pretty easy to take apart and put back together! The older kids and adults were having a good time playing with them too :)

I found out that my daughter made the thumbless mittens (above), which you can see baby can put on all by herself :)

And my daughter was smart and put bells in the blocks she made so the birthday girl loves to shake them and make some noise!

Fun party, great homemade items and adorable little girl :)

Computer Issues

I've missed a few days posting because I couldn't get the blogger app to work on my iPad for some reason.  Oh well, I'll stick with the computer for now!  It's been a busy few days anyway!  More on that, but for today I thought I would share pictures of the playhouse I finally finished last week.

I'm happy with the way it turned out!  I have different colored buttons on the two windows because I had to buy two full packs just to get two of the same color.  I would have had to buy four full packs to get four of the same color.  Both of these colors look good with the roof fabric so I decided each side could be a little different :)

It has a door that is rolled up and tied above the door frame.  It is the orange fabric and as you can see it has the turquoise lining.

This house was quite fun to make and not nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be.  I'm getting out of my box a little bit, making a few non-quilty items!

I had to order the big buttons on the orange tabs online, so here are a couple more photos after I got those sewn on.

It's all ready for a special little person to come play in at Grandma's house!!

Birthday Time

Look who had a birthday!!

She was so thrilled with every gift, even the clothes and cards!

Megan made her these adorable blocks which she loves to shake because they have bells in them. Fun day!!