Happy Halloween

My Favorite Trick or Treater!!

This here Nana can't wait until she knows what Halloween is!!

Spa Week

Not for me, for my serger.

 Ellie keeps eating her lower looper thread and then snapping it off.

Anger issues? Maybe..........

Rethreading issues for me? Ahhhh yeah.

I wish I got a spa week, but since I am not eating my threads, I guess it ain't happenin'. 
Bye-bye baby......see you in a week or so...I hope.

Halloween fun!

The Hubs, the Dot and I spent a lovely few hours at Dell'Osso Farms in Lathrop, CA on Sunday.
I have wanted to do the corn maze for-ev-er!!
I am quite sure I had more fun than they did, but what ev........
Here's a few shots of our day!! And yes, I will be doing this again next year....heck, they have a Christmas thing coming up.....hmmmmmm

I climbed up to the sign and helped them push. Bad me.

EEEEEEEE....I was so excited!

this was the harder of the three mazes

I didn't see any children of the corn

We were actually right where the hubs is pointing. 

And yes, it was a dead end...for the third time. hahahahaha

Easy peasy maze

Corn....as far as the eye can see and me in the middle.

We made it!!

I call this Beyond Pumpkin Dome. Can anyone else hear Tina Turner Sing?

See us climbing?

ridin the train

I may have blended.

It would be awesome at night with flashlights and a tractor ride to the haunted house.....oh yeah!

A few more views of the area...

Farmin on the river....ahhhhhhhh

October FNSI

It's been awhile since I signed up for the Friday Night Sew In, but I have been trying to sew.
This week I knew I was sewing soooooo I went and signed up at the last minute.
Can you say: procrastinista? Sure, I knew you could.

I can't show the completed blocks, because that would ruin the surprise, but I can show you some of the progress.......

We are all making Dresdens using Chateau Rouge by French General. Yummmmmm

I used five prints from each colorway

80 platelettes . Okay, blades...what ev..

The half way point...and boy, is there shrinkage.

Here's how I chose to do the "points".

Look how much smaller the sewn one is!

The blades are still the same length, but the seam allowance really made a difference.

I still have to mount them on the backing and do the embroidered center.  
Can't wait to see what I finally embroider!  
I best get to gettin cuz these puppies go out in Wednesday's mail and I got a houseful of family showing up from Sunday 'til Tuesday............... EEEEEK!

Flannel Baby Wipes...The Next Big Thing.....

I know it's really an old thing....a very old thing....but it's new in my grand daughter's life. 

Her mama has decided that she wants to stop using disposables as much as possible. 

You should see her Christmas list for the baby........all-in-one diapers galore!

I saw she had flannel baby wipes listed........for the price, how could I not make some? 

Her's were serged and plain o'l white or natural flannel. Nope, not for my grandbaby!!

How about some Halloween wipes???

Not sure what Brandi (dil) would prefer, so I made a few different styles.............

 

First, a couple of single layer, serged edge

Next, double, sewn and turned.

One round corner, one square

One zig zag, one straight

Rounded, double, serged

 The whole lot of them.

Six wipes from two 8.5" wide by WOF strips.

5 if they are all double thick

10 if they are all single thickness

I'll know more after her trial period. LOL

Happy wiping!

My First Pair

I've been wanting a pair of fingerless gloves/mittens since last year.

Weeelllllll I finally found a pair I like.
They are gray....100% wool and not overly bulky......l o v e them!

I just might need to start a collection.....just sayin'

IT'S D O N E

I finally finished all the hand quilting! The only other quilt I hand quilted was a small whole cloth quilt for a hand quilting class.....very small. 

Now to make a label and pick the binding fabric! 

Dresden Practice

Well, my first attempt at a 12 plate dresden turned out, enh. I added length to the template which messed up the flatness......you would think not, but it did. That's why the center got larger....I kept cutting until it laid flat. lol

It will work for what I am using it for, but back to the drawing board for the dresden block swap.
I have four blocks to make in 2 weeks, so I best get to figurin' what I did wrong. 

When they are half sized, they lay beautifully, so this will be their final destination,

my Crafty chicas table runner.

I should have it done before the next patriotic holiday...I hope!

Anyone else out there ever make a tiny, little change that messed up the whole design?

Halloween Decor

It's that time of year, when orange and black rein supreme! L-O-V-E it!
I usually lean toward the kitchy and witchy but this year I tried for classy. How'd I do?

I got the eye chart print at tatertots and jello.   That site is a goldmine of decorating ideas and more!

I used some burlap I had leftover from the Burlap Chic Reception and I free-handed the silhouettes. The raven is way better than the spider. LOL Some cheap frames and some little pumpkins and I'm ready to go.......boo!

I'm a Hooper

Yep, a hoop-er. I hoop my embroidery, I hoop my quilting. I tried being all free, but it just wasn't for me. I've been experimenting with hoop size since I started my foray into big stitch quilting: 

the participants: 

 As you can see, I have a hoop or two (or 5)

Round, oval, square, big and little....I've got them all!

 23" round

9 x 21 oval

22" round free standing

14" round, heavy duty

 The newbie, as of yesterday, 11" square q-snap

Conclusions:

If I did traditional one hand on top, one hand underneath quilting, the free standing hoop would be great. That is how I used to quilt, but I have since taken to machine quilting......that was about 13 years ago. (yes, I've had the hoops for a LONG time lol)

The oval and the 23er are just too awkward for how I quilt. Small hands, short arms, just not for me.


I will be keeping the 14" hoop because that is what I do 90% of my quilting with and it's portable.
I will keep the q-snap because of it's shape and the way I can do the edges with it

My next hoop will be something like this:

I really need something for the borders and edges 

I know I can make some kind of jig to add to the 14" round, but this is so much easier, no?

And if I decide I am going to hand quilt a LOT, I'm going for one of these babies:

 

http://www.graceframe.com/site/hoops/laphoops

Do you hoop? Do you hand quilt? Do you machine quilt? Do you send it out to a pro?

I do both hand and machine, sometimes both on the same quilt.

Would love to send it out to someone I trust, especially the big quilts.

Happy quilting!

ps......I will be getting rid of three hoops asap....if you live in Contra Costa County and want to pick one or all of them up, let me know. If not, I am donating them to my local quilt guild.

Orrrrrr, I just might use one as a frame for some large scale embroidery...HHmmmmmmm, that thought just occurred to me....but the free standing hoop has got to go fer sure.