First Stitches in Smith Mountain Morning and More

Today was my fifth day of migraines in a row...I take quite a bit of daily medication to keep them under control and though I still get plenty of migraines it was really working well...then last month I was really sick but only lasted two days. This month I just can't shake it. I take sumitriptan when I get a bad one but it seems to rebound me into a cycle I just can't get out of about 20 hours after I take it. Today I tried to just get past that time and not take it (I have never taken it more than three days in a row that I can recall) but by 2 PM I would have gladly taken a bullet..so another sumitriptan...and by 3 I felt the best I have felt all day. I then got to sewing and later to do some cleaning since I have a friend from work coming over for the first time tomorrow. She wants me to teach her to sew! I am crossing my fingers the migraine isn't back when I wake up...I tend to wake up with them and unless you get them I don't think you can comprehend the pain. I know I take my meds and make it to work (and life) as much as possible and I think people feel it must not be as bad as it it. Can I just say...it isn't, it is worse. There I will try to look on the bright side. They won't kill me, it just feels like they will.

On to brighter topics...here is the very first of my half square triangles for Smith Mountain Morning! I have a long way to go, but the first stitches are in.

DJ helped me get my new Bonnie book spiral bound finally! It is so much easier to use this way and it just makes me happy.

I had an idea that I could bring in some drawers that were in the garage being unusued and organize my thread in them. So I did, and while at it I moved everything and dusted. Later I cleaned out the cupboards and got them organized and found lots of scraps (some of which I allocated for use now that I have a system and some of which went straight into a bag for BJ!)
Here are the two doggie quilts I finished up yesterday when my migraine was semi under control. Both these tops have been laying around here or there and I found them while cleaning. I backed them with dog paw fabric that Tiffany gave me for Christmas two years ago.

I quilted them up quickly myself and since they are dog quilts I am happy enough with the results. Done is better than in my drawer. They are now nicely waiting in my new shelf to be gifted. I will have to get another picture of it since it is filling up. I added two of my great grandma Myrt's afagans too.

I had to have this book when I saw it. The only thing I love as much as fabric is books. So far my favorite quilt is the one on the cover and I am debating using my new Denyse Schmidt fabric to make it (who am I kidding, I need a new project like I need another migraine!)

DJ brought the mail in while I was laying in bad and I was very excited to get this magazine which had Bonnie K. Hunter in it and a pattern of hers! I wasn't able to look at it for hours because my head was so bad, but when I finally did I was tickled. I haven't read the rest of the magazine yet!

I cut and sewed fifteen more of the tissue holders (now I need to buy tissue to put in them) this evening. I made a bunch last year and gave them away as Christmas gifts (mostly to my interpreter co-workers) and everyone liked them so much I decided to make some for family and friends. When you do them assembly style they take almost no time and I cut them from scraps of fabric and some donated by Michelle!

I am happy to have made some Christmas presents in July! I love to get a dent on the list becasue it gets here so fast and I have more time than money these days (and I don't have much of that!). I really just wanted to sew something that wasn't complicated because I was too migraine drugged!





I didn't work on Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll at all today (other than cutting a few strips from scraps) but hope to get to it tomorrow!

Belated Pictures

This is the front and back of a little doggie quilt I finished up last week. I practiced machine binding on it...now I have watched lots of tutorials and figured out I am supposed to be working on the opposite side of the quilt when machine binding. Today I tried my hand at that on the Carolina Crossroads quilt...I have the binding all attached and then spent about an hour with several different stitch tries and a whole lot of unsewing! The bobbin thread just kept bunching up and making a huge mess on the back of the quilt. I think I am not setting something right on my machine. I put it aside to try on one of my less fancy machines!

The colorful quilt is a dolly quilt for a Christmas gift. Glad to have something started on that front. Today while I was frogging, DJ cut a bunch of strips for for my latest quilt...I decide to jump in and work on Bonnie Hunter's "Smith Mountain Morning" quilt from her Scraps and Shirttails II book. The quiltville swap group is swaping some strips and units for that quilt and Amy over at Amy's Passions Blog got me interested. I really should be working on "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll" but I am stalled on that which is odd for me.

I took a picture of my cut strips but I haven't had a chance to upload it yet...so just imagine, lol. I borrowed this photo from Bonnie at www.Quiltville.com and if you haven't seen or done a Bonnie quilt, get on over there. I am her number one fan!

A Fabulous Sewing Day!

Last night I quilted up Lily's twin size quilt...well that was after I figured out that the thread I bought wasn't liking my machine or vice versa. Luckily I went over to June's to wish her a happy birthday and bring her some birthday fun and she suggested a differnet thread and then borrowed me some...and she also let me use her walking foot. (It is awesome we have the same Viking Designer Diamond machine!) I have never used the walking foot before and I love it...it is on my list of things to buy. It made quilting this bigger quilt so much easier!

I actually quilted this little doggie quilt with the uncooperative thread, while trying to get it to work. It is okay, served the purpose of getting me comfortable with the walking foot.

Here you can see the back...don't look to closely, but I guess the dog it winds up with will be fine. My sister has two chiuauhuas and so does my mom..they are perfectly suited for my fun little quilts. Today I quilted this little doll quilt which has been waiting forever...and I found a binding in my pile and attached it. Did some hand sewing on it in the car on the way to lunch.

I made and attached the binding on Lily's quilt this morning and DJ has been hand binding it on and off all day. We plan to give it to Lily next weekend when we go to Yuma so she will be working on it all week. My thumb still isn't better...I thought it was from texting on my blackberry but apparently sewing and signing bother it too because I am losing my grip on my right thumb. So DJ said she would do that binding. I need to read a good tutorial on machine binding!

Yes that is Bug in DJ's lap!

This evening I did work a littl on the border for the quilt on the wall behind DJ. Have a way to go on that. I decided to whip up both of the Downy Quiltz for Kids tops that they sent me. They are precut and go really quickly. DJ did ironing and so they went even quicker!

I need to get more batting so I can get these pinned and quilted. All in all it was an awesome, fabulous sewing day. We watched a few movies and listened to alot of Lady Gaga while we sewed. I am happy, happy, happy.

Potpourri of Projects!

Tada the binding is all done on this NYE mystery quilt designed by Ann B. Smith. DJ's sister Samantha will be getting this for her soon to be born baby.

I was in the mood to finish up some of the many things that were building up as WIP...they were small but it was nice to get some of them done. I added some fleece (from Michelle) to the back of this doggie quilt and it is in our room for Bug now. I also finished the quilting on one I was using that never got completly quilted!

I added a final row to this Eye Spy that I started at Quilt Camp. A few of the added squares were from little pieced Michelle gave me too. I really love this one little orange square with cowboys on it! I cut up extras and added them to the Eye Spy squares and hexies I have cut too. We then backed this with corderoy type fabric that I bought online by accident...thought I was getting cotton! I have blue just like it. I don't have hardly any batting so I didn't add any. It is like a heavy blanket and will do just fine. DJ is tying this quilt while I type (YAY!).

I also added the backing to this doggie quilt and quilted it. I think my sister will be getting this one for her birthday for her chihuauas. (backing from Michelle!)

I added backing to this doggie quilt too though I haven't quilted it yet. That is what I did on Saturday! Then we went to the Diamondbacks vs. Twins game for the first time!

Today we did a whirlwind of grocery shopping...we have learned to "ad match" to make things easier. Anyway we can to save a buck. We have taken to labeling all the food so Coleman doesn't eat it all in five minutes. (I am serious.) Then we made Jimmy Deans and Biscotti. Finally I was free to get some sewing in...we have a birthday party next weekend to go to for Tommie (one of our Deaf friends) and we decided to make her a bag from this book.

I have made this bag several times before and am always pleased with it. My bias tape maker is a HUGE help in making the handles. (in case you aren't tired of hearing it, the plaid fabric is from Michelle!)

We were going to make two, but we cut one piece two extra and decided to just go ahead and make four. I now have three Christmas gifts ready to go! I love that feeling!

Tomorrow Kathy is supposed to come over to do some more cutting and I might get to sew before work, life is good.

It all comes together...

Threw a few of the blocks from Carolina Christmas on the design wall while they await being sewn together...I like it!

These little hexagons are not sewn yet, but I spent some time glueing the edges to the paper pieces cards so that I can work on it over the holidays while hanging out with my family...the idea came from a tutorial I saw and I am copying the gal right down to the fabrics...I will dig out the info to post with an update of it too in case any of you feel the need to handpiece!

Kathy finally whipped me up a huge top to my ironing board last night! I need to staple batting and such to it, the blue fabric is just laying over the board for now. You can also see I got the binding machine stitched to the edge of the second NYE Circus quilt from last year.

This is a little doggie quilt for Divot the Dog (my Dad's partner's dog). She is in love with flamingos and has a matching quilt so I thought her dog would like a little quilt too. That dog was by my dad's side til the end, and after he passed away Margie gave me a bunch of his clothes for quilting...so I loaded them in my suitcase. When I came home from the service I found Divot the Dog laying on top of the clothes in my suitcase...she had never even gone in the room I was in before that. She could still smell Dad on those cloths and wanted to be near him. She has a special place in my heart now and she is Margie's pride and joy.

Last night I did a quick large tablerunner for my antique table to protect it from the laptops. Today I bound it on the way to get my seventeen year old son Mac from the airport. He flew in from Wisconsin and was amazed at the sunny weather here!

My not so crafty sister made this for our brother who is a HUGE Sun's fan and has a Sun's room. The clothes were his son Ben's so even more special! I can't wait for him to see it!

Kathy and I got everything cut and situated for the NYE Mystery 2009 by Ann B. Smith. These are her fabrics..the crazy purple is the backing and the rest are for the top..but wait, we decided on a different cream at the last minute, but close you get the idea. Merry Christmas Everyone. May this coming year be easier for us than the last. Thanks for reading my blog my friends!

Two Doggie Quilts Done!

I made my sister and my mom a quick doggie quilt for their chuiuahuas. They both liked them. Made just from scraps and machine quilted by me. Nothing fancy, but they serve the purpose.