Christmas through the Year!!!

My contribution to Allie's "Christmas through the year" are mug rugs!  I'm using up orphan blocks and odds and ends to incorporate in the mug rugs! :)  It's late, 11 pm and I've had a very busy couple of days and even more coming up.  But I just had to post my pics!

Nighty Night!

two vintage blocks for embroidery:

I just received these and particularly like the girl with ice skates. I think if you click them you can print out a copy if you want to use either of them in your sewing.  Enjoy!

Happy Easter Dear Friends!

Getting things done

Mom has a break in tests and doctors appointments (until next week) and I am concentrating on getting tasks accomplished.  Like mailed 20 bunnies to Japan for Operation Bunnydrop:

One of the yuckiest jobs?  Cleaning out my bookshelves (sorry only got pic of the bottom half).  I've gotten rid of a lot of books and moved most of my quilt books to the sewing room.  My goal is to eventually not need the monstrosity in the living room.

One of the best jobs this week?  I made toffee bars--got the recipe from Kelly at Pinkadot quilts and made them for my brother who loves them (Thanks Kelly!).  Recipe is posted on her website if you are interested :)

Then there is guy who has to be in the pic.  More and more he reminds me of my darling Paddie.  Maybe I just miss her a lot.

Maybe I will even get a little sewing in!  Have a great evening! :)



Another Rainy Day in Paradise...

I've been a real slacker with the blog this year.  Mostly because I have so much going on and lately--while there is a lull in my mother's surgeries--because we are truly experiencing "April Showers"--and that means horrible photos because the light is bad.  Of course it could be worse.  Check out the weather Allie has been experiencing here.  Sorry Allie but you just made me grateful for the rain..EGADS!

Today I'm nursing a stiff back and guess what...it's going to rain again!  Yesterday I drove to the Poconos to do my Sunbonnet Program for a quilt guild.  Mapquest thought the drive would take one hour and twenty minutes but it took me 3 hours because something happened on Route 80 and the highway and local roads became a parking lot.  I did get a very scenic look at the area including a town calleded "Paradise."  Fortunately, I arrived at the guild in plenty of time because I left so early (just in case things like this happen) and had a great time there.  A lot of the members brought their own sunbonnets and it was awesome to see their support of the quilt pattern.

Now getting back to blog business.  In March, I posted that I was working on mug rugs, etc.   I'm really on this "use it or lose it" kick and particularly with my fabric.  Here's what I did with that old set of polyester stars I picked up.  My friend Linda loves Autumn colors and I did this with her in mind:

 Mug Rug

Table runner

More pics if we get more sunshine!  Hopefully soon!

Recent Redwork Acquisitions:

I stumbled into some nice (and affordable) redwork buys in the last few months.  They were all picked up locally and spoke to me.  The first two definately felt like 19th century pieces (splashers).

This one below feels more early 20th century to me.  I wondered if it was a nod to The WaterBabies by Charles Kingsley or even Peter Pan by James Barrie. The landscape and particularly the mushrooms have a more Arts and Crafts feel to them:

Peter Pan, original illustration by Arthur Rackham:

Water Baby Illustration by Jessie Wilcox Smith.

I'll never know for sure where the redwork picture came from, but it's fun to wonder!

Konnichiha

Quilt for Japan is packed up and ready to mail today.

Now I'm making bunnies to send to Japan.  Crafts with Purpose embarked, "Operation Bunny Drop," for the children of Japan.  You can read about it here if you want to participate.

Today is the first day we have had sunshine in a long time....sometimes these little things in life make us so grateful!!!

Love Letters or Why it's great to be a Nana...

Like all children, my granddaughter loves to receive mail.  I love mailing things to her too and recently was more on the book track since she learned to read this year.  But this week, I received a letter!

And an illustration:

I've never pretended to be a great quiltmaker and I'm certainly not a good clothes seamstress so I took an alternative route.  I went to the little cottage shop where crafters sell their homemade wares.  You should have seen the clerk's curious expression as I walked around the doll dress areas--holding this design against the frocks (finally I had to show it to him).  I found this one:

I'm off to write a little card and get it packed for mailing so that our little designer can receive it early next week!  Project Runway, look out!  Helena is already doing her sketches and "making it work"!