Another fun mail day!

You know that I love fun mail days, and my birthday, so this was a GREAT day!!  Oh...and you also know that Aunt Nancy sends good stuff - so this was a SUPER GREAT day!  Look what goodies Auntie sent me for my birthday this year!

A girl always needs needles and thread...and chocolate is just a given!

When I was in Minnesota last summer, we saw this stocking made up at Piecemaker's.  It is soooo cute and I had often regretted not buying the pattern.  Well, that is now remedied!  The wool is not included in the kit, but the flannels for the stocking are, so I should be able to whip this up (haha...famous last words!). 

Aunt Nancy makes the best cut out cookies!

What's really funny is that I think she has sent me this card several different times!  Too funny.  When I turned 40 she sent a card to my work every day for a couple of weeks.  She's such good entertainment...if only we lived closer together we could really get in trouble!

I didn't get pictures of the rest of my gifts, so I will just tell you about some of them.  Hubby gave me a Kindle Fire!  I'm excited.  I already had a Kindle and I read on it every day and have downloaded lots of books - mostly free.  I had mentioned at Christmas that I might like to have a Fire, but he didn't think that I needed one!  Somewhere along the line, he must have changed his mind.  The Fire is awesome, it does everything that my laptop does and will be much easier to take along on my travels.  My kids gave me flowers and plants, and some Bath & Body (no excuse to smell bad!).  My parents gave me some pretty heart earrings and cold, hard cash for my big upcoming road trip.  My brother and family gave me a funny hillbilly card (they make me laugh) and a plant and some Girl Scout cookies.  We all got together for supper on Sunday at my favorite Mexican restaurant in Mt. Pleasant.  Mom made me a German chocolate cake - she makes the best GCC EVER - so yummy.  Oh...and while we were there I had to wear the sombrero and be sung to in Spanish.  There should be some good pictures to follow!

I'm off for a sew day - hope your day is great!  And...Happy Valentine's Day!!

Weekend work!

Just a quick post to show you the pieces that we finished this weekend.  Can you tell I was on an earring kick?

And a few more...look closely at the fabric...I was lucky enough to get my hands on the new Seasonal Gatherings fabric by Lisa Bongean.  It won't be available in shops until April - you will want to own some of each and every piece!  The colors are deep and rich...yummy!  These are just a few, I've pieced more, but they aren't finished just yet.

Thanks to everyone who participated in Yard Sale Saturday - I really thought it was a blast and can't wait for the next one.  I know I have plenty of things that I can offer up!

What did you all do for Superbowl Sunday?  I actually watched the game (but more importantly, the commercials) while sewing.  I even sat and hand quilted for awhile - I really need to do that more often!

Have a great day!!

Yard Sale Saturday

Yard Sale Saturday!

If you read Bonnie Hunter's blog then you've seen some of her posts about Yard Sale Saturday.  I think it's a great idea, and wanted to get in on the fun.  I hope some of you will do the same.  I'm going to copy the very few guidelines that Bonnie layed out:

There will be some ground rules…These items need to be QUILT RELATED. Patterns, Books, Fabric, Notions, Partial UFOs…whatever you want. This is for gently used –white elephant type items, not new-sell-at-retail-stuff or new crafts you have made to sell for Christmas. Understood? Think YARD SALE. When your item has sold, mark it sold on your blog page so people know.

You must link your post back to THIS POST, not the whole blog --- The url to use is http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/02/yard-sale-saturday.htmlhtml

You write the post on your blog, you come back here and link it up. It is up to you to decide how you are going to interact with your buyers. I’m going to use paypal, and the selling price does not include the shipping. The shipping price will be figured depending on where the person lives, and the shipping price will be added to the purchase price.

 Simple enough? I am also going to use PayPal.  If you want to buy any items that I post, the first person to e-mail me (at this e-mail address: julie@meandmystitches.com) will be the lucky buyer.  I will send you an invoice via PayPal that can be paid by credit card or PayPal.  As Bonnie stated - there will be an additional charge for shipping when noted - sometimes I will include it in the total price, as you can see below.

***HENS ON HEELS IS SOLD (Thanks Lindsay!)***This first week, I have found a couple of patterns that I know I will never use.  The first one is called "Hens on Heels" by Carol Bruce of Needlesongs.  Some friends and I bought this pattern with the intention of making it for another mutual friend, but it didn't ever happen!  I still remember the shop sample - and it really was very cute and very funny!  The price on the pattern is $11.00, but I am asking $6.00 which INCLUDES shipping (sorry...USA and Canada only).

****3-6-9 PATTERN IS SOLD (Thanks Carla)!!  The second pattern is "3-6-9-Quilt" by P3 Designs.  I actually did make this one - it was in a kit that I bought from The Quilt Merchant in Winfield, IL (LOVE that shop!).  The kit was wonderful - it was a baby quilt with the cutest old-timey fabrics.  The pattern gives instructions and fabric requirements for five different sizes, from lap to king size.  It is a quick and easy pattern - good for a beginner or for someone who wants to whip something up in a hurry.  The price on this pattern is $8.00, but I am asking $5.00 which includes shipping (again...USA and Canada only).

****SOLD - Thanks Ginni!***Lastly is this fat quarter bundle.  There are five fat quarters in this cute little bundle.  I don't know what fabric line these are from - I tried to take a peek at the selvedges, but the most info I could find was that they are from 2000 and the word Mosaic.  They really are pretty colors, but just not something that I'm going to use.

 I am asking $8.00 which includes shipping (USA and Canada only).

If you have some of your own Yard Sale items to sell, post them on your blog, and be sure to link back to Bonnie!  This is gonna be fun!

Have a great day!

The Second Batch O' Pins

Here is the batch of pins that I FINALLY finished up yesterday...

Now I need to get back to making pendants!

Are any of you planning to do the Farmer's Wife "Sow-A-Long" that Randy is hosting at Barrister's Block? I am seriously thinking about it - she is planning to make 6 of these small blocks each month, which seems manageable.  I need to decide for sure...I have a tendency to ponder on these things for too long, then decide that I'm too far behind, so I don't start.  When I see all of the wonderful finished products out in blogland,  I kick myself for not doing it.  So now to decide - what colorway?  Scrappy?  Red/black/tan?  Pink/brown?  Hmmmm.  I've got to make a decision!!!

Have a great day!

Pink Lemonade and New Jewelry

Well...it took awhile, but I gave in to peer pressure!  Lori at Humble Quilts has done it again and has gotten a lot of quilters involved with her latest Quilt-A-Long.  I thought it sounded like fun from the beginning, but I have so much going on that I decided not to participate.  Of course, there are tons of you bloggers out there, showing off your Pink Lemonade quilts, and telling me I could do it...it's just a small quilt...it won't take long...etc!  So yesterday I gave in and started pulling fabrics.  The hardest part for me was deciding on the yellow.  The piece that I really wanted/intended to use just didn't work.  This one is a little bright, but I think it will do (it's going to have to...because I'm not tearing it apart!).  The background is a light pink, but the picture really washes it out.  So...here is my attempt at Pink Lemonade...

To see more Pink Lemonade quilts, go to Lori's blog - everyone is linking up there today!  There are lots of awesome versions to see and you might find a new blog or two to follow.

On another note...I know that I haven't been posting much lately.  I've been busy with all kinds of different things...all things that I really need to post about - but for now, you only get to see the jewelry that we've finished up.  I was really short  on pins, so we made bunches of them.  Also lots of scissor fobs.  I'm probably not going to post these on my website (I'm planning a selling road trip in the near future), so if there are any pieces that you are interested in, drop me an e-mail and we will work it out.  I have another batch of pins that I will finish up today and hope to show you those very soon.

As always, forgive my poor photography - there's a big ol' glare on some of these.  I made lots of new heart pieces so be sure to look at my website to see even more new things.  It's not too late to order for Valentine's Day!

Have a great day!

New Jewelry

Just a quick post to show you a few pieces of jewelry that we finished this weekend. The hubby gave me a fat quarter bundle of Jo Morton's new Crimson Bouquet fabrics for Christmas - you can see that I put some of them to good use.  A few pieces have sold already, but I posted new items on the website yesterday - go check it out!

We sure are having strange weather here in Iowa (and around the country) - snow last week, 50 degrees yesterday, freezing rain and snow overnight.  Wonder what tomorrow will bring?!

Have a great day!

Fun Mail Day!

You all know that I love Marty the Mail Lady, and she did not disappoint yesterday!  Look at the fun things that showed up in my mailbox...

It's always fun to look through the new Keepsake Quilting catalog.

Yippee!!!!  I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE!  If you don't already have a subscription to Primitive Quilts and Projects, you should get one.  This is definitely a keeper - there are always several projects in each issue that I want to make. 

And the best piece of mail!  Check out these cute little bow tie blocks!  My blogging friend, Joan, from Keeping You In Stitches sent me these little gems.  She read my post about these and decided to make a few for me to add to the bag.  I just love them all.  Joan always has such fun projects going on, and I always tease her that any one of them would be happy to come and live at my house.  Unfortunately for me, Joan seems to always choose her daughter, Emily, instead of me, to gift her wonderful projects to.  So...haha Emily...I have something from your mom now too!

Wasn't that a great mail day?  And the best part...NO BILLS! 

Have a great day!

Bow Ties Everywhere!

Are any of you making bow ties with Bonnie Hunter? This was her 2011 leader/ender challenge - she just continues to tempt us all with her ideas.  And how in the world does one woman get so much done?  I have refrained from a lot of her temptations, but for some reason the bow tie blocks seemed like a good idea, but not as a leader/ender because that just doesn't really work for me. If you haven't heard of this challenge (where have you been??) here is Bonnie's original post.  She is using cheddar as the "background" for her bow ties, but I wanted to make mine scrappy.  Every now and then when I want to take a little break from making jewelry, I go through scraps and cut the fabrics for these 3" (finished) blocks.  I have a small container of pieces on my sewing table so they are handy when I get in the mood to sew a little something.  Usually when I work on them, it seems like I sew about 20 blocks, then go back to jewelry.  I have a ziploc bag in my closet that I stuff the finished bow tie blocks in.

The idea was for this to be a year long project - and we are now six months into it, so Bonnie has asked that we link up to see how everyone is doing so far.  This of course, prompted me to get out the bag of bow ties.

I was really surprised when I counted them all - I have 318!!  That's surely enough to make something!  I want to get into EQ and try some different layouts.  And, I'm hoping when everyone links up that maybe I will get some ideas as well. I can't wait to see what everyone is doing with this. Be sure to visit the Quiltville blog to see all the links to everyone's bow ties. Thanks Bonnie, for another fun project!

Have a great day!

Quilty Stuff

I haven't posted much quilty stuff for awhile.  I was BUSY before Christmas, trying to get gifts done.  Here is what I accomplished...

You've seen this one before, but here it is finished - I added some borders, had it quilted and got the binding on.  This was a gift to my brother and his wife for Christmas.  It now lives in their house in Florida. 

Next on the list...

This one went to my husband for Christmas.  I had to really sneak around to get it finished!  Actually, even to get it started!  Since all I ever work on anymore is jewelry, I knew if he saw me making something big he would wonder what it was.  I took part of the pieces to Mason City when Mom and I went to stay with Aunt Nancy.  I didn't think I would work on it, but took it anyway...just in case.  As it turned out, I kicked myself for not taking all of the pieces with me.  Aunt Nancy pieced some of the blocks (because I was having issues!) and we all removed the paper (it's a paper-piecing pattern).  To finish it, I took it to church on Tuesdays and tried to work on it late in the evenings when I could hear snoring coming from the living room!  I begged my LQS to quilt it for me, then added the binding on the Tuesday before Christmas!  Whew!

Next up...

T

 

This one was for my grandson, Kaden.  It is all the Minkee-type, super-soft fabrics.  I have had this in my closet for over a year.  It really only took a couple of hours to make, but I struggled on what to do about quilting.  I decided to just sew down each one of the rows. That turned out to be a huge disaster and almost landed the whole thing in the trash!  This fabric is so slippery - I had used a ton of pins, but it still was all bunched up when I got to the end of the first row.  Have you ever tried to un-sew Minkee?  Pretty much next to impossible.  Not good.  Ends up it has no quilting!  I hope it is ok - I don't think Kaden will mind!  Luckily the static electricity kind of holds it all together.

This one has been done for awhile...

When my father-in-law passed away 2 years ago, DH, DD and I stopped at a quilt shop in Velva, ND.  DD saw this quilt and really liked it (she has a very large love for ALL animals!).  There was also another kit similar to this but with bears and different animals and more of a green color scheme. We ended up buying a kit of each, and matching backing fabrics. These quilts were to be for the kids as kind of a memorial to our time in ND and to their Grandpa.   I made this one right away, but my husband wanted me to add some kind of memorial-type label to the back.  The other kit promptly went in the closet where it stayed for two years!  I decided it was high time to get 'er done!  It is now at the quilter!  YAY!!  And here is the label that DH made for the backs of these quilts...

And last, but not least...

This is a 24" floor pillow for my niece, Emma.  Remember that she and Andrew were married in Florida in September.  I had thoughts of making this for a wedding gift (after the fact) but decided to just make it for them for Christmas.  Well...it didn't quite get done in time for Christmas.  But, it's done now.  So, as soon as she sends me her new address, this will be in the mail.

Whew!  See...I really do make things once in awhile!  Oh...one more thing...have you seen these tree ornaments? 
(Sorry, I tried to copy and paste the picture - to no avail).  I found these online and am determined to make some for next year.  My blogging friend, Joan, is obviously on the same wavelength!  You can see hers here.  Seeing her post gave me the nudge that I needed to give these a try.  Here is my first attempt...

I can't finish it yet, because I ran out of pins!  But this gives you the idea.  I followed this YouTube video for instructions.

And while I have been busy with all of these projects, and still making lots of new jewelry...

This is what Callie has been up to....

 See her peeking around the corner?  She is laying on a little stool in the closet!  And CC has been very busy doing this...

After Callie rested up from laying on the stool, she decided to choose some fabrics for my next project...

And, I believe that Ozzie was napping the entire time!

Be sure to notice in all of my pictures that there is no trim around doors, windows, etc.  That is changing (FINALLY!!!) as I type this.  Pics of that upon completion!

Have a great day!

Kindred Spirit

I know that there are several of you out there who think I'm nuts for being in love with an outhouse.  Well...I'm here to tell you that I am not alone!  I received an e-mail from Pat in Oregon who also has a love for outhouses.  She was kind enough to share a pic of hers (it's the real deal!)...

It is soooooo cute!  Thanks for sharing, Pat!

Have a great day!