Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful blog friends! I feel so fortunate to have "met" you all. I hope that you and your family have a blessed holiday. Winter Wonderland

Waiting for Daddy

Hugs,

Cathy

Little Quilting Tip

I enjoy sewing on bindings, especially when it is cold and you can snuggle up in your quilt. I have discovered something that works great holding the binding in place. I ordered a bunch of hair clips from etsy to make hairbows and realized that they would work great for binding! I also used them to hold a purse handle together while I was sewing it. The double batting makes the pins bow a little, but the clips worked great. I got a bag of 50 for very little money. Just a little tip in case anyone struggles finding something to use while binding.I finished the binding and it is now in the washing machine taking a little bath..........woohoo, new quilt to sleep under tonight.
I had to include this picture of Oliver with a piece of a twizzler in his mouth. He was a little confused what to do with it.

Have a great rest of the day,

Cathy

Snow!!!!

We got snow, about 6 inches and more to come! I know a lot of you get so much snow and probably get sick of it, but we get very little here in Midlothian, Va. We are loving it and so are the furkids, heck even the 28 year old is out sledding with pizza boxes. etc. Like I said we don't get much snow, so we don't have sleds. ;-)We had a great time at the beach, even though we had to come back a day early. I was able to sew 60 hourglass blocks. I will post quilty pictures soon.

Have a great weekend,

Cathy

Best Christmas Present Ever........

is going to the beach with your husband, dogs and adult children ( who still love a week at the beach with old mom and dad). To me that is better than any present under the tree.Of course my sewing machine is packed and fabric for a hourglass quilt all ready to go. I think I spend more time making sure I have all my sewing supplies that I do anything else, except for my stack of books. LOL

Have a great weekend,

Cathy

Need a little advice on Flannel for backing

I am done......put a fork in me! I have been sewing: a custom tote bag with monogram, and bumper pads and crib skirt the past week. The fabric for said bumper pads and crib skirt was $30 plus a yard. Yikes! I though $10 a yard for quilt fabric was expensive.It was hard making that first cut worrying that I would mess things up. Glad to be back to quilting!

I need a little help with using flannel as a backing and batting both. I will not be using any batting, just the flannel as a backing. I did not prewash any of the fabric in the quilt top, but want to know if I should at least wash the flannel once before I use it. I think that I read that flannel shrinks more than cotton. I don't want it to mess up the top if it shrinks a lot more. Does anyone who has used flannel as backing have any advice? Thank you in advance.

BTW, JoAnn's has flannel for 1/2 price right now.....really cute prints.

I made a sock monkey with a pair of Target's dollar socks. It was so much fun to make. Pictures coming soon.

Take care,

Cathy

100th Post Winner!

Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful comments.... I always knew that quilters are such nice people! I can't believe how many people commented and wish that I had more to give away.

The winner is "Happy Cottage Quilter"! Please email your address to me and I will get your package in the mail either tomorrow or Monday. Not leaving the house today.;-)

I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was wonderful....I felt like Martha Stewart with all the goodies that I made. Now, I have a baby shower to give on Sunday and then I am off to my sewing room, never to emerge LOL.

Have a great weekend and thank you again,

Cathy

100th Post Giveaway :-)

I am having a 100th post giveaway as my way of thanks to all the people who have supported my blog and also all the wonderful quilters who share so much on their blogs. Sometimes I think that I just won't blog any more , but then I realize how much the comments motivate me to quilt even more. I especially want to thank those who read my posts faithfully even when I go for weeks without a new post. I will never be a "famous blogger", but truly appreciate those who visit.

I am going to give away three things: 30 fatquarters of Moda's Figtree "Allspice Tapestry" with a little extra yardage, 2008 Fatquarter Shop's Christmas Block of the Month with fabric by 3 Sister's "Peace on Earth" for Moda fabric and a coin quilt top with Moda's "Recipe for Friendship" fabric.

(Do you think Moda will hire me for a commercial) ;-)
The Figtree fatquarters.....
Block of the Month Club 2008 - all 12 months, but not the finishing kit. I think that you can still find the Peace on Earth fabric. I will put in a little extra yardage though to use for borders and binding.
Lap-sized Coin quilt...I will put in some extra fabric for the binding.
I am using a medium sized flat rate box to ship, so I may pop in a few more goodies to get my money's worth.

If you are interested in this giveaway, all I ask is that you please leave me a way to get in touch and if you so wish, I would love to know how many quilts that you have made since you started quilting. I will do a drawing the day after Thanksgiving.......I do not shop on that day! LOL

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy

Quilt Top and How Not to Monogram Pillowcases! And Some Cute Boxes Thrown In....

I, finally after making numerous whirlygig quilts, finished a quilt top for moi! Yea!! The size turn out to be a generous lapquilt.Beautiful Moda fabric......no one is surprised there. ;-)
I had an antique desk in my bedroom, but it wasn't good for displaying quilts, so I "stole" this bookcase from my husband's office. My daughter decorated it for me and now I have room for more quilts. I have given away or sold just about all the quilts that I have made so I need to get busy and make some for this. It is going to be a tough job, but someone has to do it. :-)
I am getting pretty good at finding things to use as storage in my sewing room. I think it is because of all the creative people in blogville. I found these cute boxes at Target for a $1 a piece. They are very sturdy and I plan on covering them with fabric after the holidays....pretty cute idea dontcha think.LOL

This is my big oops for the week. I usually monogram pillowcases after I have assembled them. This time I did the monograming first, being very careful to get it right. Well, the 54 year old brain let me down, yep the monogram is upside down. I am going to flip them and redo on the good side.
My 100th post is next!

Have a great rest of the weekend,

Cathy

Great Nephew and Craft Show

It is raining (again) and it is making me sleepy so I am being lazy and not taking any pictures of what I have been working on. We went to camping this past weekend, so we could see my new great nephew. I was able to hold him a lot, which was so much fun! He is the one that I made the "Benjamin" pillow for and the whirlygig quilt with blue and green Bubble Gum Basics fabric.

In this pictures he is 16 days old and he is absolutely beautiful!!! His grandmother was there (my younger sister) so we both were fighting to hold him. LOLThis is my 98th post, so I am getting ready for a 100th post giveaway. I just love the blogging world of quilters...it is so much fun.

I was in a craft show last Friday, and decided that it would be the only one. I worked hours upon hours getting ready for it and only sold a little bit. I think that my items may have been a little too trendy for a retirement community. I did get a quilt top quilted, another one finished and pillowcases made. I will charge up my camera and post pictures very soon.

I hope that everyone is doing well.....please check back soon for the 100th post,

Cathy

What I have been doing while not blogging;-)

I have been making a lot of little things such as tissue holders, key fobs, and fabric flowers for the craft show that I am in next week. I can't stay away from quilting entirely though. I finished piecing this top tonight. It is "Park Slope" fabric by Erin McMorris and I used the fun pattern "Jelly-Filled" by Thimble Blossoms. It is a quick top and makes a nice size...so much so that I think that I will need to send it out to be quilted.Two years ago , I wouldn't have bought fabric with such bright colors, but now I can't get enough of them. I have a plain white bedspread on my bed so anythings goes.
Aother name pillow, this one for my daughter. She loves all that I make for her.....so good for the self esteem.
I hope that everyone is doing well and looking forward to a nice weekend,

Cathy-who camped last weekend in all the rain. We had only 10 minutes of sunshine and that is probably being generous. Two people, 2 goldens and 1 cavalier in a 20ft Airstream make for some tight quarters......definitely staying home this weekend!!!

Scrap Basket

I had my DH pull a name this morning for the box of scraps and he pulled Allegra's Mom, Jacque!

Please send me your address and I will get the box right out. My sewing room is looking very clean and organized these days. I can't sew if it is not. I wonder why I am that way with sewing, but not the rest of the house. I was really neat and organized when I taught school also. Go figure. LOL

I am doing my second craft show in a few weeks......I did one about 29 years ago and didn't sell a thing. :-( Hopefully this one will be more successful. It is at the Retirement Community where my daughter works. I am making key fobs, tissue holders, coffee sleeves, little note pad holders and will take my quilts. Is there anything else that I could make that would possibly sell well? After this, I think that I am going to take a break trying to sell things and just make things for the enjoyment.

My 100th post is coming up, wow, how did that happen. I was going to give away a quilt, but may need to change that to fabric instead.

Have a great day, it is rainy here, just the kind of day where a date with my sewing machine is the answer.

Cathy

My scrap basket overfloweth......

I really want to be good about saving and using scraps, but they just get out of hand before I do. So, if anyone likes to make scrappy quilts and would like a a medium sized flat rate box of them, please let me. Mostly Moda, no surprise there. ;-)

If more than one person is interested, I will have Molly draw a name.

Take care,

Cathy- who is sad that Inspector Lewis isn't on PBS tonight.

If you give a girl some stencils.......

she might just get a little "letter happy"! Add some Steam to Seam lite and a sewing machine, you can just go crazy.

This little pillow is for my great niece to go along with the quilt at the bottom of this post.
Baby Benjamin's name pillow......loved making this one!
Bib for Benjamin ;-)
Baby Maggie's quilt made with "Bubblegum Basics" . This has been the best fabric line for making baby gifts. I was able to make both boy and girl presents.
Up close and personal.....
Have a great day,

Cathy

Beanie Love and Name Pillow

Can't seem to stop crocheting!!! I am a knitter, not a crocheter, but these little beanies are so darn fun to make and quick!! So much faster than knitting. I can make one in about an hour and with Knitpicks wonderful yarn prices it works out great. I am giving some to my new great nephew and great niece to be and then donating the rest.This is my favorite so far.
This is a name pillow to be finished with piping as soon as I get my butt out of my recliner and upstairs to my sewing room. I don't feel so guilty when I am crocheting- which is probably my secret to so many completed hats. LOL

I am also making another with the name Benjamin, which was a little tricky fitting all the letters on.

I want to apologize for not being good about responding to comments lately.....I feel bad about it and am definitely going to work on that.

Have a great Tuesday, it is sunny and suppose to be 70 here today,

Cathy

Lap Dog?

We like our "lap dogs" big around here!Must share the lap!
More pictures (quilt ones) later.

Cathy

Bad Blogger ;-(

I have been a very bad blogger.......I need to try to update at least once a week. (New Goal)

But, I have been busy making lots of things to blog about.....just can't seem to do both. LOL

My daughter designed this placemat and I made 4 of them for her. Isn't it cute? The only time consuming thing was all the quilting. But my walking foot and guide made it easy.

Then I made a little notepad holder to keep in my purse. The fabric is "Park Slope" by Erin McMorris....one of my favorite fabrics this year.I made a quilt top using 2 1/2 strips.....I will show it after I get it quilted.

I hope that everyone is doing well and was able to get some sewing in this weekend.

Take care,

Cathy

Older Nolting Hobby Quilter-Has Found a New Home

This may sound strange, but I am going to give my Nolting Hobby Quilter( 16") away. It is one of the older models and even Nolting calls it noisy, but I quilted probably 20 quilts on it and it did a beautiful job. But, about 6 months ago it messed up and I was not able to have it fixed locally so I bought a Hinterberg Longarm so I could keep quilting.

The Hobby Quilter has been sitting in a corner of my bedroom while I have tried to decide what to do with it. It needs repair work done, it could be as simple as the timing or it could be something else. I do not in good conscience want to try to sell it when I don't know what is wrong with it. So I decided to try to find someone who would like to have it. It would need to be picked up (Richmond, VA area) since it would be very expensive to ship. If you know anyone who would like to have it, would you please pass the word on. The quilting frame would not go with it, but they are pretty reasonably priced.

Thank you,

Cathy

New Tote and Camera Case

My daughter works as a communications coordinator for a retirement community. They had an "Active Aging" Week with Travel the World as a theme. I made her this tote bag, camera case and key fob for them to use as a door prize.The fabric is "Pack Your Bags" for Moda. It is a really cheerful print and goes with the theme perfectly. I was glad to be able to find it online since it is an older line. Gotta love internet shopping. ;-)

Fun to make camera bag.......I see more of these in the future. I just made the pattern up as I went. I need to make it a little bigger next time, but I was pleased with it.
Hope everyone is doing well,

Cathy

A Little Crochet and the Next Coin Quilt

Thank you for all the comments on the quilts that I posted the other day......I really appreciate it so much!

Do I need to get a life? Another coin quilt!!! What can I say......I love making them especially if I start with charm packs. They are so easy to make and so much fun. I have a local quilt shop that has charm packs and jelly rolls in other fabrics besides Moda, so it is easy to use different lines of fabric. Up close and personal.

I am also trying a little crochet. I am an avid knitter and have probably knitted around 25 pairs of socks over the years. When I started quilting again after a long break, I put the knitting needles away. I haven't crocheted since high school, which was very long ago, but with a great niece along the way I decided to give it a try. I love You-tube and was able to see lots of tutorials to help refresh the old brain. ;-)

I hope that everyone has a great weekend,

Cathy

A Few Quilt Pictures

I am finally back after a couple weeks break. I have been quilting and sewing. I had 2 commission jobs, one a quilt and one a monogrammed purse. I have also been cleaning and cooking since September is a big birthday month here.

I made this quilt a couple years ago when "Simplicity" first came out.
My latest coin quilt all quilted and washed.
A quilt that I made last winter.....I loved the cute marshmallow peeps.
Another Moda fabric that I love......so bright and cheerful!
I am working on a quilt for my niece's baby girl for a shower in October. I am also working on Whirlygig and Coin quilts made with Moda's "Panache" fabric.

It's good to be back,

Cathy

Be Back Soon

Just a quick post to say that I am taking a little blog break and will be back soon.

Take care,

Cathy

Goldens and Socks :-(

I wanted to jot a quick note to let those of you who are waiting for packages from me know that I will get them in the mail tomorrow. My beautiful, but not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" golden Brodie is at the doggie doctors after spending the night at the Emergency Vet last night. He somehow ate another sock ( or something) and it just isn't passing.He has already had 2 surgeries for this problem......we watch him we really do, but he somehow got hold of something that he is having problems passing. Please keep your fingers crossed that he won't have to have surgery. He is almost 7 years old and probably will never outgrow this obsession with eating things he isn't supposed to.

I will do the random generator for this last giveaway tomorrow.

Take care all,

Cathy

Another Wee little Giveaway

Can you tell that I have been reading Scottish Mysteries lately? ;-)

Here is the first giveaway.....squares that have been completed using Prairie Paisley by Moda and 1/2 yard of the red fabric and 1 yard of the blue.
This is fabric left over from the "Allspice Tapestry" by FigTree quilt that I made a couple of months ago. There should be enough to make a coin quilt. Some of the squares have been sewn from the last quilt that I did and will need to be taken apart.
I don't know if anyone is interested in these, but if you are please leave a comment.

Thank you,

Cathy

Jelly Roll and Book Giveaway Results

I went to a random number generator site instead of using the paper eating doggies this time and this is the result:

26 Random numbers generated Aug 23 2009 at 21:40:54 by www.psychicscience.org. Free educational resources for parapsychology, psychical research & mind magic.

"Great giveaway. My favorites are bright fabrics. I would love to win this fabric and book.Thanks for the chance to wnter. treasa.hamilton@gmail.com"

I will email you Treasa to get your home address and get everything in the mail on Tuesday.

Thank you so much everyone.....I really enjoyed reading your comments and checking out your blogs.

Take care,

Cathy

Basket of Colors for Sale

I have this basket of fatquarters and some 1/2 yards for sale. I used to do a lot of applique which is why I have so many solids and semi solids here. Some of the fabric may be cut into , but not too many. There are 58 pieces of fabrics and I would like to sell them for $40 plus shipping if anyone is interested. I will stuff them into the smallest flat rate box that I can. SOLDOr, if you would like just a color bundle.....please make me an offer.



I have lots of fabric that I am going to put up for sale tomorrow......mainly Moda for $4.50 a yard. Boy, did I go crazy buying fabric the last year or so. ;-)

I also have 2 more little things for another giveaway that I will post later tonight.

My sewing room is looking great and I feel more in control of my stash. LOL

Take care,

Cathy

I will also post the jelly roll and book winner tonight so I don't get too crazy with addresses. It's called a 54 year old brain!