May Update and New FO

Oh Dear it's the 31st of May, so soon?  Now just where did that month get to and just what did I get done. It seems I was busy adding fabric to my stash (22.75 yds) but not using very much up.  Oh well if it has to go some where it might as well come home with me.

I started two New FO's : Sweet Treat I  and Sweet Treat II from Judy's sew-a-long, except I'm a long way from finished. The photo is Sweet Treat I which is the second one I started (I know it sounds backward but that's how I think) because I didn't have enough of my first choice fabric.  I will finish it but it will be much much smaller.



I spent some time cleaning out the last of our storage garage, stuff had been in there just way too long.  I spent time on house projects but not much time sewing.

My May List:

• Churn Dash ---More blocks sewn together


• Harley T-Shirt---The shirts are chosen and cut and the sashing is cut


• Quilt of Valor ---Blocks and rows are sewn together


• Square n Square ---Same


• Crumb ---Same

Family came to visit this past week, just leaving yesterday.  We had a great visit and looking forward to the next one.

I'm linking up with Barbara at Cat Patches for the May  New FO.  OK , I don't have plans to start one in June but I said that about May too. :)

Design Wall Monday May 21,2012

Up on my wall this Monday is the center of my Sweet Treat.  After a Sunday drive and finding a barn sale (yes I bought stuff) I spent a few hours in the evening sewing my rows and sashing together. Now it will join the QOV quilt on the table for boarders.

 



As I left the sewing room this morning after snapping this photo I shut the door because I know it will be several days before I get back in there.  We have company coming later this week so I do need to clean up some.

To see more design walls head over to Patchwork Times.

Stash Report Week 21, 2012

Another week and more fabric coming into the room. This fabric will be cut up and used right away, well at least most of it.

I did get one set of pillowcases made so at least there's a little bit going out.

• Added this week:  5 yds


• Added this year:  98.75 yds


• Used this week:  2 yds


• Used this year:  65.75 yds


• Net used 2012:  -33 yds

To see more stash reports head over to Patchwork Times.

 

Foto Finish : Pets

First I have to admit that we've not been Mom & Dad to any pets in many many years, but we have been Aunt and Uncle to many.



I want you to meet George. When George first showed up at our house he didn't have tags so we named him George and that name stuck even after we learned that his real name was Marlow.  We became a regular stop on his rounds in the neighborhood.  He came by early in the morning and would stand at the window until we saw him and if he had to wait to long he would let out one bark.  He'd have his treat and then some times he'd wander on or he's just hang out for a while.  Sometimes he would surprise us and come by in the afternoon and would be waiting when we came home from work. He was not one for playing, running after a ball held no interest for him.  He came for love and petting and of course dog treats.



 

George is no longer with us.  For over 15 years he was our visiting sweetheart.

I'm linking up with Cat Patches for Foto Finish

WIP Crumbs

I decided this week that I'd better start working on at least one quilt that was on my May 1st List.  I've not had a lot of sewing time this week so I thought crumbs it is.  I keep thinking that this little crumb quilt is done and then I make another block and so it goes.



This is my first crumb experience and I can tell that it won't be my last, I'm liking little blocks.

After making this 6"block I think I'll try a I Spy Crumb Quilt.

For more little blocks check out Jills Quilts

Design Wall Monday May 14,2012

I have my blocks for Judy's Sweet Treat Quilt Along  on the wall this week.  I'll put up the rest of the blocks today and then move them around a million times until I think it's right and then move them some more.



These are all fabric samples. It's been a lot of fun cutting them up.

Check out more Design Walls at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report-Week 20, 2012

I got into the sewing room yesterday and while I did a lot of  sewing between laundry loads there were not finishes to count fabric out. So here I am again with fabric coming in but not going out.  I started out just getting what I needed for current projects well we all know what happen.  I bought some Kona Snow for a upcoming project and some white on white for Judy's Sweet Treat.  Some of the new fabric is for pillowcases so maybe I'll get those out this week. At least I made the math easy.

• Added this week: 17.75 yds


• Added this year: 93.75 yds


• Used this week: 0 yds


• Used this year: 63.75 yds


• Net used this year: -30 yds

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mom's.

Check out Patchwork Times for more Stash Reports

Sew it's Saturday

I've been looking forward to this Saturday for a couple of weeks now.  Things have been crazy busy here so when I saw on the calendar that there was a Saturday coming up that I didn't work and Mr Bill had a Ham Radio thing I started plotting and planning how I would spend a Saturday on my own.

I thought about all the things I should do...Clean house, Yard work, Sort through boxes, do errands.  Then I thought about what I want to do but haven't had a lot of time for..Sew here I am having a Sewing Saturday.

I'm working on Judy's Sweet Treat and on this Quilt of Valor.



 

Then while I was eating my lunch I found these stripes for Foto Finish at Cat Patches

This photo was taken from the window of our 1970 Triumph in the Eastern Sierra Mountains in California

 



Head over to Cat Patches for more Foto Finishes

Enjoy your Saturday whatever you're doing.

Homemade Hand Cream

I first read about this homemade hand cream back in December on Judy's blog.  With yard work, painting and the general cleaning out  that is going on here my hands are taking a beating.  Then there is the dry feet thing.  It's Southern California I wear sandals 90% of the time.



When I first read about making this cream I thought I need to try this and I hunted down the ingredients wanting to make it.  But I'd just cleaned out my cupboards and had put all my various creams in a basket.  You know, the half used tube of cream, the bottle with only a third left, and don't forget the new unopened ones that shoved to the back and forgotten.  So I put my little bag of ingredients away until I made a serious dent in the store bought stuff.

So yesterday I pulled out that bag and my mixer and set them on the kitchen counter to make it up last night.

• 16oz Baby Lotion


• 8 oz Vaseline


• 8 oz Vit E Cream

 

Put it all in the mixer , it looked like pink tinted icing.  Then I filled the small containers I also bought at the dollar store and reused the Vit E cream jars. 

Used it last night and I'm taking a couple to some friends this week.

I'm linking this up with Try It On Tuesday  at Jo's Country Junction.  What did you try new this week?

Design Wall Monday May 7,2012

On the wall today is the Quilt of Valor that I started a couple of weeks ago.  You probably can tell that it's a Take 5.  You know that pattern where you take 5 minutes to pick the fabric  and 15 minutes to cut it out and the 50 minutes to sew it up. Well maybe I'm over stating it just a bit.   But things just don't happen like that at my house, LOL



See that square missing at the bottom, somehow the flags got sewn in upside down so that one is setting at the machine again just waiting for me.

 

I wasn't going to start anything new. No I wasn't.  Even when Judy posted about a Sweet Treat  sew-a-long. No I wasn't.  Even when she said it was really easy.  No I wasn't.  Even when she posted the first step in the sew-a-long and it looked so easy. No I wasn't.  I mean I worked all weekend so I wouldn't  have the time to finish up by Monday.  Then I saw this last night in my sewing room.



 

Scraps from my girlfriend Kat and they just cried out to be made into a Sweet Treat .  I don't even think there is enough for the 30 blocks that were suppose to be done by today but here I am cutting them down to 2-inch strips and seeing what I can get out of them.  My quilt might be much smaller.  So much for "NO I'm not starting anything new"

To see more design walls go to Judy's at Patchwork Times.

 

May 2012 Quilt List

I've made my little list of quilts I would like to get done this month.

I don't know if five is too many.  This is the first time I've written my list down.  My list has always been mental and that has worked sometime.  This month I've made a little list and put it on the calendar in my sewing room.

1. Churn Dash


2. Harley T-Shirt


3. Quilt of Valor


4. Squares n squares


5. Crumb

So here is where each one stands today.

1. Churn Dash--I'm trimming up the HST blocks and sewing as I go.



2.  Harley T-Shirt -- I have the shirts cut and the interfacing on them.  They are setting in a nice pile waiting for me to decide what size I want the squares to be. Oh and I need one more shirt, another decision to choose one out of the huge pile of shirts.

3.  Quilt of Valor -- Blocks are sewn

4.  Squares n squares -- Cutting out

5.  Crumb -- Need two more blocks  More about this one later.



I don't know how much help the list will be because I don't see a whole lot of sewing time this month.  But with a list I'll be more focused when I do get the time.

I seem to be very goal conscious lately and I feel very driven to get things done.  I must admit that I do love lists.

H