Just a Little Quilting

And I mean little in more than one way. I made Barbie Doll Quilts for those sweet little girls that are living with me. They even helped me quilt them. The sat on my lap and I let them push the go button. I don't have a foot peddle. I had the machine on very slow speed and they guided the fabric. I told them when to stop. They are both very happy about the little quilts.

 

Here they are side by side

Each quilt also has a matching pillow.  The pillow is propped up on a spool of thread.  These little quilts I made match their pillowcases I made them for Christmas.

 

Princess Quilt on a Barbie Bed

Frog Quilt on a Barbie Bed

That is some cute bed they have for their Barbies!

Happy Stitching!

 

 

Christmas Top Secret Project

Now that Christmas is over I can reveal the top secret project.  It isn't complete at this time.  I still have about 20 more pictures to add to the wedding album.  Three years ago last Halloween our daughter Kierra was married in Las Vegas.  About 2 years ago I started scrapbooking.  So this year I decided to make her a wedding album in a Halloween theme and in her two favorite colors. 

 

She was so surprised when she saw it and really liked it a lot.  She is excited to post the pictures and feels very special that she has parents that do this for her, none of her friends' parents do such wonderful things. 

 

I am not posting them all here today just a few.  They are 12 x 12 pages and too big to scan.  So I am taking pictures of each of page.  She hasn't seen some of these pages because I have made them since Christmas.

 

Title Page

I did blot out their last names for privacy.

Invitation

 

 Friday Night Family Dinner

Kierra & her Dad and Mr. B & me 

  Well that is all I am going to show off for now.  I have about 22 pages done.  I used lots of different papers and techniques.  I even weaved two different papers together.  I haven't taken a picture of that page yet. 

 

It has been a fun project and I am so glad she likes it. 

 

I wish all of you a Happy New Year and may you be blessed with the righteous desires of your hearts and may you be up to your challenges.

 

Block Base Sew Along 6

So I am not sure what is going on with my sewing but this is the second thing I made recently that I am not happy with.  I think the brighter pink should go in the center.  So I think I will remake this block.  Maybe it is because I am rushing to get thinks done in the few minutes I can steal away to quilt/sew.  There is a time and season for all things. 

 

I made three of these little ornaments, one for a friend for her December birthday gift and one for each of the little girls living with me, so they can remember the Christmas with Aunt Mary. 

 

 

 

I also made the girls their own pillow cases.  I hope they like them.  I have some extra of the cuff and I am going to make a little doll pillow and quilt.  It might not be for Christmas but maybe for New Years. 

 

 

I have also been working on the Top Secret Project which I will unveil on Christmas or shortly after.  Not sewing related but very top secret!!!

 

Well if I don't check in before Christmas, please have a Blessed Christmas or a blessed holiday and may the New Year start off with a bang and may you be up to the challenges it brings you and may those challenges be handled with dignity.

Block Base Sew Along 5

WOW time is flying by so fast.  Taking care of two girls is keeping me busy and happy.  My sewing has been limited but what I have finished has been good. 

Here is my version of block 5, I am happy with it. 

 

Block Base Sew Along 5

 

 

I also made a block from Barbara Brackman's blog called Grandmother's Choice.   It about the women's right to vote.  There are wonderful articles and lovely blocks.  I made one I really liked to add to my Farmer's Wife Sampler.

Brick Pavement: March on Washington

 

I also made one little ornament as a Birthday gift but forgot to make a picture of it. :-( 

But I plan to make two more one for each little girl, so I'll take a picture of one of those. 

 

Happy Stitching!!  Have a wonderful Christmas season!  

 

Block Base Sew Along 4

Do you know how sometimes life can throw you a curve. Well on November 15th I was thrown one.  It has been a good thing but  very time consuming.  On Friday the 16th I retired from work and became the guardian of a 7 and 9 year old girls.  I wouldn't go into any more details but they are as cute as can be but busy.  So I didn't finished my Gratitude series but people are more important than writing and sewing a lot of other things. 

 

So this block represents all the sewing I have done in 2 weeks.  Yup I have been that busy. 

 

 

This block reminds me of a crocked house all the seams are crocked.  I might have to make it over but not today.  Of course no one will see it in a quilt with 140 blocks all 6 inches.

Gratitude # 13

I am grateful for Friends. I have had many good friends in my life. I have learned a lot from all of them and have had many hours of fun, living, loving and lots of good company with them all. Even with all the miles that separate some of us they are still near to my heart. I wrote about one last night and I will share more in the coming post of those who are extra special, but they are all special to me.

 

I even appreciate those friends who are gone from my life.  They are gone because our paths have changed or we moved and lost contact.  You know how it goes.  At the time they were in my life they added to my life with their friendship.  Some of the friends that are gone are not forgotten, I wonder how they are and how their life turned out.  I hope they are well and life has turned out good for them. 

 

I enjoy and am grateful for the new friends that I am making and how they enrich my life also. 

 

Isn't it wonderful to have friends in our life and not to be alone.  They help us grow and do things we won't do by ourselves.  I hope that they view me as a good friend like I view them.

Miriam and Mary

Here is a picture of one of my friends from Nantucket, I meet while visiting my grandparents.  We wrote for many years even up until high school.  Gone but not forgotten. 

 

And I just love that social media thing that has allowed me to

re-connect with lots of old friends.   

Gratitude # 12

For my friend Karin, she was my hiking buddy. Because of Karin I worked out like a crazy women and backpacked the Grand Canyon down the South Kaibab trail and out the Bright Angel trail. I slept in a tent during a freezing night up on the rim and carried my 50 pound backpack down and out. Remember going out means going up! This was the first hike we did together. I weighted the backpack when I returned to work and it weighed 40 pounds without the water.

Karin and I at Havasu Falls

The night before the hike down in to the canyon we sleep in our tent on the rim and it was 32 degrees when we woke up in the morning. Thank heaven for a sleeping bag good enough for freezing weather.

Our second night we had camp at the Bright Angel Camp ground and the third night at the Indian Springs Camp ground. A storm had moved in the evening we were at Indian Springs and it was raining and cold. We didn’t pack a tent down because we didn’t want the weight to carry. We had two tarps which was fine at the bottom but not fine at Indian Springs. We slept under a picnic table and it was a miserable night.

Sleeping in freezing weather was never on my list of things to do in this life but I am so glad I did the hike. We did our hike in April so the lower levels of the Canyon won’t be so hot. It was a wonderful adventure!

We have hiked the Havasupai Canyon two times together. We got smart on these trips and let the horse pack our supplies down. We camped in style with a Coleman stove and a 2 man tent. We had a great time hiking.