A Little of This & That

If you read my post yesterday I shared with you that I get up pretty early so that I can get in a little quality quilting time before my day really starts. I have to say that today... this morning... marks a new landmark for me! I was humming along at the machine and I heard my iron "click" off (auto shut off). I made a mental note that- gee, I haven't had to press anything for the last 10 minutes. Nothing special but when I went over to the ironing board I noticed my iron face down on the board. Now, I have my very first ever burnt iron shape on my cover. So, there I am wondering if I am a late bloomer with this problem? I assured myself that #1. it was early and #2. I did quit drinking tea & #3 this is why an auto shut off comes in handy.


Off to work I went. On my desk I have this cute little crochet pillbox holder. A friend of mine that I work with made it for me. I don't have the right sized box to put in it yet, but I will find one eventually.



As I mentioned before my quilt guild will be having the bi annual quilt show in a couple of weeks. I thought I would show you a photo of the Opportunity Quilt we made to raffle off. It was made using a pattern from Possibilities. I think it is a stunning quilt!

r=0> My responsability for the quilt show has been to gather donations and make up baskets for another raffle. I am hoping to have between 10 & 12 baskets put together for the raffle. This is one that was put together with a Yosemite theme and an assortment of fabrics, quiltie and touristie types of things. I have been working on these baskets for months now. I have had some wonderful donations. But I am getting nervous and hope that they all look nice and people like them.

Here is a photo of what has been my favorite purse. It's a Late Bloomer pattern. I love the size and the pockets and the little ruffle at the top... but it is time to make another one I'm afraid. Jen, from Punkie Pie, was the recipient of my scraps, as she was makeing a quilt for her daughter out of the same fabrics!

I need to have this "Merry-Go-Round" quilt sent off & quilted but I am searching for a backing fabric for it now. My longarm quilter lives hours away but will be attending the quilt show, so I need to get my ____ (things) together to give her when I see her! I am very codependent on my longarm quilter! My friend Virginia had always done it for me before. I was her first customer as a matter of fact. But she decided to retire this year. You know the anxiety I had!!!

Time to be off & running! Talk to you soon and thanks for visiting me:)

Memory Lane + 1 Quilt

I feel totally unprepared for today. Both yesterday and today I got up at 5:00 so that I could do some sewing on my secret assignment. I really feel that I need to use my time wisely, so I try to sneek in some time with my Pfaff before I have to get ready for my big girl job. Since I can't show you what I am working on, I thought I would show you a little project I had as a secret assignment last September. I pieced this little number for the talented Ms. Fig Tree. Of course this is a before photo. It did go to market and looked great when it was quilted. The fabrics are from the Gypsy Rose group.

Today I had lunch with my friend Kathy. We have been friends since we started working at this beautiful place, Yosemite National Park. I worked in the Park for 10 years. Kathy still works there and we have been friends for... yikes... going on (I was going to put the number here but I just couldn't do it) years now. How did that happen? That was life, before children and even with children! Actually this is where my kids started school.
So, in honor of our history with Yosemite, I thought I would share some semi-recent photos with you of the park. (I like to think of it as the "happiest place on earth" but some other place already took that line!)

This is my secret spot for picnics:

Here are some of the classic photos that you just have to take when you are there... even though you have taken them a 100 times before. 1. Bridelvale Falls 2. Tunnel View 3. El Capitan

Don't you think it's a nice backyard? I hear it calling my name... I am due for a visit but I like to wait until mid May when the Dogwood Trees are blooming!

Deja Vu

Here we are again with Monday's post but this time with the photos. Fingers crossed!

We had a good weekend... it all ends to soon though! I was able to lock myself up in my sewing room on Sunday and get some things done or at least put a dent in my special assignment! Since I can't show you that... I thought I would show you this! This is what I need to get finished.

Just the quilting left to do, and binding. I am so intimidated by doing the actual quilting though... I get anxiety from it. Anyway, this is going to be a shop sample, very soon, fingers crossed! The fabrics are from the Wonderland group and the pattern (which uses the same fabrics) is from Abbey Lane Quilts. I recently stubled upon their patterns. They are really simple and cute!

I cut this pattern out and need to get it made up. You know I need another little purse, right?

Amy Butler has a zillion purse patterns; and I would like to make every one of them... okay maybe just a dozen of them:)

I thought I would snap a quick photo of my apron "de jur". Sorry, the spelling might be off on that:) Anyway, I think it is a sweet little daisy apron from my collection. Sally, the wire form, is also wearing my mother's faux pearls! I want to start showing some of the aprons from my collection, but I am not sure how I want to slip them in. Any ideas?

Okay, and before I forget to mention it(especially to Sharon) , it is Loser Monday and I am down 2 1/2#'s. Little by little, inch by inch! I have no hopes of having a waist like Sally's but maybe by the end of summer I will be able to wear a bathing suit? At least swimwear would be on sale then!

Quick Note

I wanted to let you know that you should head on over to http://notquitejunecleaver.com/ In honor of National Wear Your Apron Day, Susan is having a giveaway! A vintage apron of course!

The idea is to come out of the closet and wear an apron, all day, everywhere! It should be fun... read more about it over at Susn's blog.

Field Trip

Field Trip Friday!

The quilt above is one that I have hanging in my office. So here you are- at work with me!
I meant to show you this one earlier in the week, during my little debut. This quilt is one of the quilts that I will be entering into the local quilt show next month. So, I will have 3 entered all together.

My little lunch time excursion (Lunch Therapy) today was to go back to the LQS and take a couple photos of the quilts that are hanging on display there. Yesterday I ran over there and when I whipped out my camera and... you guessed it. No charge on the battery!

This quilt is from an American Jane pattern and uses 1 jelly roll. This is one of mine that is on display there, at Bear Paw Quilts in Oakhurst.

The next quilt was made by Donna, my friend, and who happens to be the store owner. They are from the book by Heather Mulder Peterson called the Sweet Life. Every one of the quilts in this book are beautiful. Oh, and believe it or not... I just read her post and she has a new book coming out that looks like a lot of fun! Please go see because I would love to get tagged by Heather!!!http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/ive-been-tagged/#comments

Here are a couple of others that were hanging on display. I think that they are fun quilts.

So, have a wonderful weekend! I myself am going to have my sewing machine in front of me and the petal to the metal! Okay, so that's my plan at least but I know that there will be a trip to Costco in there somewhere and maybe a little jaunt over to Lowe's to pick up a few flower packs to plant outside and get some color around me. Enjoy!

Sewing Room Mini Tour

I went out to my LQS during my lunch time today to take a photo of a quilt I have hanging in the shop... but it seems that my camera needed a charge. So instead I decided to show you a few picture of my sewing room... the clean parts! I ended up using my lunch hour cutting out my secret assignment project! Yes, I happen to have all the necessities with me at all times & no, they do not mind my obsession at work at all... lucky me.

I made this sweet little pink planter-turned pincushion which became my sewing room mascot. The polka dot fabric is covering my ironing board. Which is due for a change, all to soon. Why does my semi-new Rowenta leak & spit water... it drives me crazy! I did manage to take a photo of my little cutting scraps from the secret assignment but I am not sure I can show it... do you think it would be alright? They are lovely little scraps.

Can You Feel The Heat

Can you feel the heat... and I don't really mean the weather! This wonderful little box came in the mail yesterday! I now have my secret assignment for Spring Market! The heat is on... but I'm up for the challenge! I can't wait to let you know what it is... but for now, it's underwraps!

Here is a photo of the Lupines I have at the begining of our driveway. MyDH & DS (#2) went out yesterday and cut the lawn and did weedeating but saved the beautiful lupines for me! DS said he was going to cut them into a heart shape (but didn't)... isn't that sweet though? So, Happy Earth Day!

I just found out that Amy over at Park City Girl is holding the 1st annual Bloggers Quilt Fest! How cool is that? There has been over 100 entries per day getting added into the festival. Today the number is in the mid 500's. So, I took a photo of one of my quilt to enter...

What I remember most about making this quilt is that I was rushing to get the border and binding on it. I didn't like the black & white toile very much with the blocks, so I tea dyed the fabric and it turned out pretty good. But when I went to add the binding it was to bold... so again, a quick tea bath! I was in such a hurry that I had to dry the fabric while I was in the car with the heater on full blast and the fabric blowing around in front of the vents! But it dried, I got that binding made and on the quilt that day! I have been tempted to send it to my husbands heart surgeon on the anniversary of his surgery! That man not only saved my husband (twice, I might add) but he also saved all of our hearts too. What do you think?

I Heart Pincushions

Sure, she looks innocent enough but...

Somebody had a productive weekend... and it wasn't me! Look at this scrap bag... medium sized for a busy quilter. I wish you could see the top part- it is a pincushion with the cutest stacked buttons on it. Then that certain somebody showed me her block #4 of the Bunny Hill BOM, which I am now behind on!

That certain somebody is my friend Patty. We had lunch together yesterday... boy an hour can go by f-a-s-t!

Oops! The other bunny photo disappeared, and now I can't get it in the right spot! And how cute is this... it's from another Bunny Hill pattern. I just love pincushions!

The Debut

Okay, here it is... the big unveiling! I took some photos of some quilts over the weekend. A couple of them will be entered into my guilds' quilt show next month. Please excuse the photography as I get use to all of this. Shew I am breaking a sweat trying to get this all organized on here! Anyway, the first quilt is Star Patch. The pattern is by Jan Patek. I just taught this class at Cottage Quilts last month.

This quilt... I wish the picture came out better... is Figgy Pudding by Fig Tree Quilts. I will enter this one and the one above into the show.

I used the Quilt Soup fabric line "Ellery" for the houses. I had been wanting to do a house quilt for a long time... so this is Cotswold Cottages from Miss Fig Tree, Joanna's book.

Here is a happy spring-ish quilt. Huge flowers! This is from an older Fig Tree pattern. Virginia, a friend of mine did the quilting on all of these quilts... I just love what she does.

Okay, that is it for now. I have one more that will be entered into the show but that one is in my office (at my big girl job). I will take a picture of that this week.

Now, on another note... it is Monday and I have been happily in the sidelines yet still a part of Red Geranium Cottage's (aka Sharon) looser Monday group. I am happy to say that I did lose 4 1/2 pounds! I gave up drinking hot tea in the morning. This, if you knew me you would understand, was a huge sacrifice! Mr. Earl Grey: I still love you... I just can't have the caffeine

right now, you understand... okay not just the caffeine-the sugar, the cream, yada yada!

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to my Blog

Welcome to my little room with a view. I have been wanting to start blogging for a year or so now... so okay, here it goes! About me: I live in a sweet farmhouse that I enjoy making into a home. I love quilting and the little mountain area that I live in, just outside of Yosemite National Park. I use to be partners in a local quilt shop and miss the interaction with women and the sharing of ideas and all the excitement that goes on when quilters get together! I still teach quilting at a couple of nearby quilt shops, so I get a little "fix" every so often! As soon as I download some photos I will be able to share my projects with you!