baby love.....my baby love......

hiyall!
remember these fabrics for lily reese's new quilt?

they became this quilt top! its alot more girly girl in person. will do a simple shadow stitch and swirlies for the machine quilting. this quilt is for......

this very special little girl! This is Lily Reese and her first cmas tree. Is she not a Gerber baby if'n ya ever saw one???

Keep On Stitich'n On!

(muah) Liz

P.S. BMB finally went to the Drs. He has severe broncitis! He was well on his way to pneumonia! Drs gave hime a script for a antibiotic and an inhaler, he is on the mend.

Thanks to all who asked about him. His bday was yesterday and it wasnt a very good one for him with his being sick. I will try to cheer him up later in Jan.

HO HO HO!

hiyall!
Hope you had a nice layed back Cmas like I did. First off, both beloved monkey boy and me were sick over the holiday. it was kinda of funny, we had a contest who would cough up the first lung and make the biggest snotrag pile. I am worried about his hacking cough, he refuses to go to the Dr cause all they will do is script a decongestant which he is using already. Told him if he still has it on his bday on monday he really needs to go back to the dr and get a chest xray.
as you can tell, BMB loves his curious george fannel jammie bottoms. when I told him I want to take a couple of pics he got goofy on me. my sizing on him it a tad off. the length was good but the width was way off. he is alot smaller than I think he is. I tryed on the jammies and they fit me well, that should have been a clue......




first pic: old man BMB, second pic: Im a mean little BMB look, third pic: normal BMB

BMB got me a new puter for cmas! There is a place online that refurbishes older puters with new equipment for low prices. Pacificgeek.com had a black friday special and son being a savvy
puter geek himself knew what I needed . There is a flat price and options to upgrade puter parts. He did very well! He also got me a wireless keyboard and mouse! Its hard to believe that he will be 27 on monday. It was just yesterday I was in false labor with him for 4 days.........but we wont go there! We had a nice simple dinner at his place aka Manland. His roomates had left for the day and it was just me and him. After dinner I left to go to my place with BMB not far behind. he brought my new puter over and set it up. I have been downloading soft ware that I need for Digital Camera and microsoft office. I now have winders XP and Im liking it! I also upgraded to AOL 9.1 and what a difference! I have a wifi card and modem. I cant afford cable so Im still on dial up which is not all that bad. just take a little longer. If I can find a broadband source without password protection I would be in like flynn! who knew the hoodies would have passwords!

One of the first things I did Cmas morning was to open my secret santa gift exchange thru KarolinaKwilters group on Yahoo. oooooooooooooo!! what pretty things I got! my partner wont be openning hers til New Years Eve. Its a tradish for her to do that. I will post a pic of what I sent her around the first of the new year. I love doing swaps, its always fun to GIVE and receive.
I have joined the Very Vintage Valentines Swap. I will give ya more details on it later.


My goodies from my secret santa; me in my adorable apron. I love it, fits me well
and I will be using it as a pattern for different aprons!
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

eat your heart out charlie brown!

hiyall,

this is a pic of my xmas tree, it was a display stand for teacher ornaments at office max where I worked. they usually throw out displays but I asked if I could have it when they were done with it. I took it home right before xmas and decorated it with simple red and white balls. then I added paper clip angels and a gold star. it stays up all year long and I change the ornaments on it from time to time. you cant see them, but I have adorable mittens and stockings that my online quilting buddies have sent me from time to time. I am now looking for a mini glass pickle ornament about 2''. micheals doesnt have them, niether did joanns or kmart. any ideas where I can find one?

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

Being sick is just so wrong in so many ways.....

hiyall,

I hate being sick......being sick is for weak people. Ask any of my friends, I am not weak. somehow, some way I got sick. there is a sinus thing going around at my big orange box. one by one associates surcomed to it. interestingly enough, its usually the ones who got their free flu shot. I dont get the flu shot, although my doctor said'' Elizabeth, you are over 50 now (geee doc, thanks for reminding me) and you are highly suseptable at your age. doc? didnt you know I am friggin' fantabulous batbroad????? batgirl all grown up, takes guano from no one! moi? get sick? bahahahahaaaa...I scoff at your words. well hell's bells.....I got hit hard with the sinus crap. I havent been this sick in over 4 years. it started tuesday afternoon, I felt a fever spike up and my ears started to hurt. took come IBs before I went to bed, woke up ok. later that wedsday, my ears started to hurt more and more and I lost my voice, shit! Im thinking, just let me get thru thursday, I have friday off I can heal myself. after work weds, I went to wally world, got some OTC drugs and cough drops and came home. I started to feel really crappy. took come drugs and went to bed. woke up early early thursday am and said.....dammit all to hell! I am sick, couldnt talk, ears were hurting, tonsils were inflamed (yes people, I still have my tonsils! sometime they are mistaken for misplaced gonads...but I still have them!) and I had a headache that would have brought down a elephant. Called out sick. foruntaly for me, I rarely ever call out. when I do, management knows Im sick. after 2 days of meds and hot tea and honey, I am doing much better. I still have no voice, a hint of a headache and I have gone thru 3 rolls of toliet paper blowing my nose off. prior to being sick I got my chocolate raggety ann and andy done.....The lady I gave them too had a tear in her eye. she was tickled pick with them. I am a equal opportunity raggety ann and andy maker, I make them in vanilla, chocolate and licorice! more to post later,

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

Beloved Monkey Boy and his Momma

hiyall,

Man! long time no blog, shame on me! Quick blog today, have alot more

to post about later. Sunday, the big orange box had their annual xmas party.

It was fun and delicious. My son aka beloved monkey boy was my date and they had a photographer there again this year. This years pic was much better, BMB has cut off his rat tail and grew a goatee. He is a handsome one.

I breed them tall and cute. more later!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

A child is black.....A child is white.....

hiyall!
I have joined an online challenge! Its called the Black and White Quilt Challenge Project.
http://bwquiltchallenge.blogspot.com/ I encourage any and all quilters to accept the challenge.
In a nutshell, you use black and white fabric with one extra color. My choice is Turquoise. For the next year we will work on any quilting project using black and white fabric and 3rd color choice. It not restrict to one quilt, it can be many projects as long as we use black,white and 3rd color. many have already joined. Care to come along with us? See that pretty picture of the black white red quilt on the sidebar? just click on it and it will take you directly to the challenge.

Tomarrow is turkey day, I will be going to Beloved Monkey Boy's house aka Manland and cook a feast for him and his roomates past and present. I have boiled the eggs for deviled eggs and the pies (the best that Mrs Smith and I have to offer) are in the oven. In the am I will pack the car with the foods and go to manland to finish the cooking. We shall sup at 2ish. I am not the worlds bestest cook, but 2 things will never happen at my dinner table. One.....you will never leave hungry, there will always be something for you to munch on. Two......you will never leave my table in a body bag! My cooking aint gonna kill ya. The menu is as follows:
Ham
Turkey
devil eggs
mac and cheese
garlic taters
green bean casserole
gravy
martins patatoe rolls
corn bread
dessert: pumpkin pie, coffee ice cream
I will have my prilosec as my am appitizer, oye, Im gonna need it!
Have a safe traveling day, great turkey day! If you are one of those Black Friday shoppers, I amy see you at my job at the big orange box. I will be running register 10 (snicker-snort)
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

(singing rather badly) just like a yoyo......

http://sewthankful.com/blog/2008/09/quick-and-easy-sew-thankful-fa.html

hiyall,

its been a yo yo past couple of days! it started out with the sewthankful link above. I saw the yo yo key chain and I knew I had a little gifty to stuff in a cmas card to my quilty friends. I have everything I need and plenty of stash to dive into. of course I modified the original pattern to suit my needs. mine is smaller, uses gross grain ribbon, and my template is 3.25'' I use the lip of a spool'o ribbon to trace it on fabric. I make yo yos the old fashion way with card board templates and ink pen. this is gonna be a great project to work on during my lunch hour. I can whip up some yo yos in no time. I have it down to a fine art!

the red and white thing next to the key fob is a fons and porter stitch ripper. I have been meaning to write a product review on it since I bought it several weeks ago. I highly recommend it for any sewing kit. it has a weighted handle that fit nicely in my fluffy hands and has a nice sharp ripper head. of course I put one of my dingbat stickers on it, marking it as MINE....all MINE....keep your mitts off! They retail for $4.99 at the local Joann's who carries the whole fons and porter line of sewing notions, I did use a coupon on the purchase that made it about $3 bucks. Its very affordable that way and would make a great stocking stuffer for your favorite seamstress or quilter (hint-hint). If you cant find it at your local Joann's, check the fons and porter website.

www.freepatterns.com

this adorable little beauty was made by my quilting buddy Arlene. Is that not stinkin' cute? look real close and you can see a pretty gold chain used like garland running thru the tree. I love it! and the pressies underneath look good too.

one last yo-yo website to share. http://bizarrequilter.blogspot.com/ there is an smackyourgrandma cute as can be little yo-yo gift bag. the template used were dishes! dont ya just love it? ok....enough yo-yo cuteness for now...... enjoy!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

online block exchange etiquette

hiyall,
I have an interesting entry for my blog today. Its call Online Quilt Block Exchange (OQBE for short) etiquette. Today in the mail, I received a Log Cabin Block from a member from my online list. On the envelope it stated it was Oct LC. I'm thinking, its about time I got one from THEM since I haven't gotten one since Sept and here its Nov. I open it up and guess what? It was a block I had sent to THEM last summer! How do I know this? I make at least 10 blocks each month, I went thru my block stash and found its twin! To ad insult to injury......They signed it with THEIR name! I don't sign mine because who would see it? Can yall see why I am so pissed? I have Dec blocks already, I be damned if I am gonna waste another stamp sending a block to THEM, only for THEM to send it back to ME. I was gonna send a nasty email to that person but I opted to bitch about here and to post some unwritten rules about Online Quilt Block Exchange.

There are 2 basic block exchanges:
Centralized: everyone on the list (number of people on the list will vary) sends a number of blocks to one person with extra postage due by a certain date. if you dont send your blocks by that date you are left out of that months exchange. that person will redistrube the blocks to all on the list that sent theirs in on time.
Decentralized: A list is sent out each month with names and addys. Its kind of a honor system that you get your blocks made and mailed out to each member on time. you have a whole month to do it.
Both exchanges I am in (9 patch and Log Cabin) are decentralized. Each month I make my blocks for each one on the lists and send it out. Their are a few on each list that have gotten behind. No worries, life gets in the way of our quilting and when they have time they will catch up. that is the chance you take when you join a decentralized exchange. I have gotten as many as 6 at one time from a person from the list.
Here are some general rules/etiquette to follow when you join a OQBE.
~be on time! joining a OQBE is a commitment.
~if something happens, email all those on your list or exchange mom and let them know that you may be late or not able to partipate for that month. life happens.....
~sign your blocks (I learned my lesson today about that!)
~do not cover your commitment ass and send out a block that you did not make. not only is that lazy, but disrespecful and just plain RUDE ( especially if you SIGN it!!!)
~be prepared to send out blocks outside of the united states. I have sent and recieved from canada, it is fun to see what fabrics are in the stashed of friends outside of the states.
~OQBE are meant to be fun and to make new friends. I have had a blast doing these exchanges and I will continue to do them.
Thanks for reading this and letting me bitch
Keep On Stitchin' On!
(mauh) Liz

Let it snow....Let it snow....OH HELL NO!

hiyall!
I know, I know, long time between posts. the picture above is the ALQS2 mini that I sent to my swap partner in Canada. She emailed me back and was quite happy with her quilt. I am very glad she loves it, the pattern is called Virginia Reel. I chose it cause it was a popular pattern post Civil War and since I live in Virginia and she likes Civil War repros I thought it was appropriate. I fused and buttonhole appliqued the leaves and reel. I chose to hand quilt a shadow stitch around each block. I used all CW repros for the fabric.


This is a wall hanging I am finishing for a client. Its a 1997 Debbie Mum cheater panel. She had started it with some hand embrodiery and I have machine quilted a simple straight stitch around the frames, free motion around the angel and added black tradional binding. all I have to do now is put a sleeve on the back so she can run a dowel thru the back to hang it on the wall.


Remember the pink,white and blue baby quilt that ended up being a wall hanging I did for a co-worker back in July? well momma has decided that Lily Reese needs a quilt. I told her, you supply the materials for one and I will make it for Lily. Mommy got all excited, so excited she got enough fabric for 2! The picture above are the colors mommy chose. Apprently butterflys is a running theme in the nursery. The center fabric is the focal and the fabrics on either side will the co ordinating fabric. I will be keeping it simple, I plan on using this pattern http://shop.knotsandbolts.com/products/Pinata_Booty_Pattern_by_Suzanne_Earley-607-73.html
its a FREE pattern from knotandbolts.com. the original pattern is 55 by 65 but I will modifly it to make a 40 x 60 crib size. I will use the med purple butterfly print as the center and frame it with the other cordinate fabrics. I will use the focal fabric for the corner stones and outer border. I plan on using the quilt as you go method when I assemble the blocks. of course I will post pics when I am done.

as far as the title of this post is concerned..........we were to have SNOW today. OH HELL NO!!!! I dont like snow, people in my area are transplants from all over the US, they cant drive in it!! It did snow in the upper attmosphere but it was gone before it hit the ground. thank you grannies! It has been cold and windy which is unusual for our area this time of year.

I found this website for a cute ass key chain. I plan on making bunches for gifts. It will be a great lunch hour project to work on! http://sewthankful.com/blog/2008/09/quick-and-easy-sew-thankful-fa.html enjoy!
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

get out and vote!

hiyall,

If'n ya already have, good for you! If'n ya hadnt, what are you waiting for! I got up at 5:30am to be at the polls by 6am. It was raining, dark and cold. I went to my polling place and saw over 300 people in line and in the rain. I thought.....shit.....I aint standing in that line for 3 hours. So I came back around 7:30ish am. Im thinking, give it a hour and 1/2 and go back. again, the line had over 300 people in the rain plus about another 100 was lined up IN the church. I said to myself, go to wally, get abby some dry food and treats and try agin. the line will go down and the rain will have stopped. I am driving by for the 3rd time, the line is still over 200 deep outside but the rain has stopped. OK, I tell myself park the car across the street and get your batbutt inline and vote dammit! that is what I did, 2 hours and 15 mins later, I cast my vote. I stood in that line for an hour and a half in the drizzly rain, another 45 mins once I got into the church to actually get to the polling booth. My ears and throat hurt. I have a headache, but it was worth it. Im glad I had the day off, since it did take me over 4 and a half hours to vote. I came home, changed out of my damp clothes and turned on the heat. I got my "I voted in Chesapeake'' sticker and will wear it proudly tomarrow at work. I took pictures with my camera phone, once I figure out how to get them out of there, I will post them.

I did get my new purse done~the pattern is from this website.http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=JC&Screen=HOBO_BAG

I tweeked it alittle bit. Machine quilted with a med stipple and used a magnet snap closure. dont ya love the sassy self making bow? enjoy!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

whole lot of stuff going on........

Hiyall,

warning, this is yet another long post! a whole lot of stuff going on!

:::::::doing the happy bat dance::::::::::: Im on vacaaaaaation.....Im on vaaaaacccaattion!!

I am getting some much needed rest! after all the drama and bullshit with the vault, I deserve this vacation. I am back on the cashier line. you never appreciate you job position til you move to another and realize you should not have taken the new position. I quilting mojo is BACK and I am a much happier person!

I finished my ALQS2 mini quilt during my lunch hours at work. I am showing a little sneak peek, when I send off my partners quilt(this coming Friday) I will post a full picture. Today I received MY ALQS quilt. I love it! It will play well with my other minis I have. I stole the picture of it off Tracy's website http://scraphappyquilts.blogspot.com/

(my camera's batteries are weak and it wouldn't flash). It is so much prettier in person! Tracy also snuck in a charm pack of Bella by Ro Gregg, I love it! Its a wonderful line of romance fabrics by Northcott. My bday was on the 24th and this was a great surprise to find in my mail box!

I am getting a bunch of sewing done while I'm on vacation! I have cut enough strips for 3 months of log cabin exchange and nine patches. I have started to clean up my sewing room! I am determine to get it clean and organized during this time off. I am trying to set up a little shop on Etsy and I desperately need to clean up my act (sort to speak) before I can do that. I have a few pieces to set up with, but once I get my sewing room cleaned up I will be more motivated to keep it straighten. I will post before and after pictures .

The rose sage......don't get me started. still no word from Chantal about the replacement. go ahead Chantal, play your silly game of 'I'm not responsible for the hired hand damage'. I got news for you girly, YES YOU ARE! you told him to weed whack both sides of the town house, you did not have our permission and YOU are the liable party! Now worries, though......You work for a well known Realtor in my area. I know him personally from working with him thru my job at the big orange box. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate one his team players doing this to potential clients. This dingbat don't play.......

I cranked up the fireplace tonight. There is a chill in the house and I cranked it up to get rid of it. Its still too early to turn on the heat. I have my fireplace take out the chill and extra quilts to keep me warm at night. That and my 70lb butt warmer named Abby.

I got to meet a Pickle last week! Bev from South Dakota! She was in the area with her hubby and wanted to meet any local pickles and check out the quilt shoppes. I had to work (dammit all to hell) but I was able to meet her for a delish breakfast at cracker barrel. Did I remember to bring my camera? helllllllll no......... It always fun to meet online quilting buddies. The Mid Atlantic Quilt Show is coming up in Febuary. I go every year since it is in my back yard, Hampton Va. Maybe I can get some of the Pickle Posse together then!

Like I said earlier......there has been a whole lot of stuff going on and still more to come during my vacation. 'Til next time....

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

we have a winner!

hiyall,

just a quick post tonight. I picked up my 3 pieces that I entered into the peanut festival. I won a ribbon for one of the pieces! I won a third place ribbon for my hand pieced, hand quilted, hand appliqued doll quilt! the quilt is approx 15' by 18''. its a pattern I got from an old american patchwork and quilting magazine. I worked on it during my lunch hour at work and its all made from my scrap bag. that includes backing and batting!

this is a door charm that I made in one of my bee meetings. its machine appliqued and machine quilted shadow stitch 2x around each pumpkin. I called the bottom pumpkin 'the pumpkin on acid'......its an old hippie joke and yes back in the day, I was one!
this was from a class I took at my LQS. the original top is 54'' x 54''. there were do many scraps left over I was able to make a baby quilt! this quilt is approx 24'' sqaure, big enough for a premie. I did add a little bit of yardard from my stash to finish it.

Rose saga part 2, still no word on the yellow rose replacement. a friend suggested I get another one and bill the reality company. I may end up doing that. I hope the hell Chantel does not expect me to chat up the potential buyers of the townhouse. I dont have nothing nice to say about her or her ethics......

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

the yellow rose sage continues.....

hiyall,
well, I kinda heard from the asswipe who chopped down my rose bush. He came by today while I was at work and weed whack the rest of the front yard. He did a very nice job. Its not what I wanted, ITS NO YELLOW ROSE!!!! dammit, I want my rose bush replace!!! Dont make my alter ego Elizabitch have to deal with you Chantal! I still have connections to the local grocery store, I know where to hide the bodies. There is a reason why they call it 'mystery meat'...... Looks like I will have to send another email to her......

On the quilty side, I dropped off my 3 quilty items to the Suffolk Peanut Fest this afternoon. They will do the judging thursday night. I will post pictures of them when I get them back sunday afternoon.

Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

I am royally PISSED!

hiyall,
ggggrrrrrrrrrr........it happened agin. A asswipe hired by a reality company handling the townhouse next door, weed whacked my rose bush!!! the motherhumper stepped over the short white picket fence, onto my property and weed whacked acrossed the front of my townhouse! In the process, he literally chopped down the yellow rose bush! I am so spitting mad! I wrote a scathing email to the owner of the reality company (she has a website on her for sale sign) demanding to know why this punk decided it was ok to cross a well defined proprty line and trespassed onto to MY property and do damage. This is what I wrote, parts have been deleted to protect my privacy:
Hello, My name is Elizabeth *******, I own the property at ************. Today, Oct 4th. 2008 at approx. 5pm, a young man, young lady, and a little boy arrived at ************to do lawn maintenance on the property. Much to my dismay, one of the adults took a weed whacker, crossed over the property line and weed whack the front of MY property without my permission. In the process, they whacked down a small yellow rose bush that my son gave me 10 years ago for Mothers Day. This is the second time this has happened. The first time was not with the young man. It was with an older man and his older helper. The property line is clearly marked with a small white picket fence I put up after the first incident. I was able to keep the rose bush alive then. Even got it to flower. This time however, this will not be an option. Why did that person felt it necessary to cross over a well define property line and whack down my rose bush? I am not a happy camper, and someone owes me a Jackson Perkins yellow rose bush. This young man drove a large green SUV (ford model I think) with an open mesh trailer to haul his equipment in. PLUS! to add insult to injury, he used MY trash can to dump his empty drink bottle, weedwhack lines and bottle of oil. I have taken pictures as proof of this damage. I expect an apology from this young man and a suitable replacement for my rose bush. Please respond to this matter ASAP.

how much you want to bet I wont hear from her unless I threathened unwanted publicity.......
we shall see.......
Keep On Stitich'n On!
(mauh) Liz

ok, I heard from the reality company:

I apologize.

We are going to get the lawncare company to get in touch with you.

Chantel

we shall see.......

a few pictures for your visual pleasure

hiyall,
this picture is my stinkin' cute Halloween purse made from 2 kitchen towels that I got at the dollar store! The pattern came from the August issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. I had to improvise on the handles. I had found a set of handles on a old purse I made waaaaaaay back in 78'~ I removed the handles and guess what I found??? Abby my dog had channeled her human spirit aka Ewell Gibbons and gnarled on them, making them unusable. grrrrrr.......I removed the rod and screws, shove the rods thru the hem of the towels, then made cloth handles from the side scraps of the towel. punched a hole in the handle and threaded it onto the rod. I made sure the screws were secure firmly. Now I have handles on my holloweenie purse. OH yeah, I pre washed the towels so the dyes would bleed a little. I can wait til the valentines and easter towels come out. Which should be in about 2 weeks. (snicker-snort) This picture is one of the golf tee pincushion I was telling you about. I gave this little pin cushion to my students in the XBlock class as a thank you for taking my class.Super easy to make, take a 2 1/2 in dia. circle of fabric, work it like your making a yo-yo. instead of closing it tight, stuff with fluff THEN close it tight and secure. hot glue the tee to a 2 in dia circle of felt. then hot clue the cushion to the felt. as the glue is cooling, push the felt up in spots to form a wavy bottom. easy peasy! My students got all excited over them because they love the idea of a small portable pin cushion that fits easily on top of a spool of thread. This picture is of the progress of my ALSQ piece. its getting there!
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

Nancy has a blog!!

hiyall,
hit and run post for now. My truck driving/quilter friend Nancy whom I have posted about recently, finally has her own blog! http://truckinquilter.blogspot.com/ Now I can read about her adventures in long haul driving and quilting on the road~ She has a travel companion named Foxy. Foxy is an adorable itty bitty Pomeranian with big black eyes. Please drop by her blog and leave a comment for her. thanks!
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

ack ack I have been tagged!

hiyall,
I have been tagged by a blog buddy! Lola at http://ansewon.blogspot.com/ did it! blame her for my 7 really boring facts about me.....

1. I am a military brat, Navy, born in Morocco North Africa. I be a true African-American......and I have duel citizenship
2. Mother was a strong believer in child labor, by the time I was 10 I was sewing on a old Singer sewing machine, cooking full meals and grocery shopping and laundry. To this day, I hate all chores except for sewing.
3. I collect camels, who wouldn't after being born in Morocco?
4. My dream team would be Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot, Paul Newman(R.I.P.), Anthony Quinn (R.I.P.) and Johnny Depp
5. My ancestors are Cherokee and Chippewa. Which means I can cuss you out with diplomacy.
6. Quilting is my PASSION (well, duhhhhh) and if it weren't for quilting I would have 'lost' it along time ago
7. I love the Fall! Cooler temps, my birthday in Oct, the wonderful smells of the county fairs, I could go on and on.....

There you have it 7 tidbits, boring as they may be, about my life. I tag EVERYONE who reads my blog. That's right people, tag yourself and post 7 facts about yourself! (evil laugh) BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAaaaaaaaa.......
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

I had a faaaaabulous weekend!

hiyall,
I had a absolutely faaaaaaaaabulous weekend! First I got to visit a a new quilt shop in my area. Nice tiny little shop right up the road from me (about 13 miles). They carry alot of moda, Heather Bailey and Anna Maria Horner!! I was in heaven. I rather buy from the LQS and support them than order online and have to pay for postage and handling. I hoping she will carry Mark Lipinski's Califon line soon. Cute little shop, I wish them success!
My class on the XBlock went very well! There were 9 students and each one had a totally different colorway on their table runners. I took pictures from the first class, as soon as I get pics (I borrowed a students camera, forgetting about the camera that is in the shop) I will post them. I gave each student a little giftie, I figure they paid good money for the class and deserved a little some um some um. I gave them a hand crafted (by moi of course) mini pincushion on a golf tee. You can slide the tee into that space where the bobbin winder is and have a handy dandy pin cushion. The tee wont interfere with the gears and it nice to have a spot for your pins. I will post a pic later on what it looks like. I got more fabric and a pattern for the next XBlock shop sample. I got baby boy fabric, I will take a pattern and downsize it to a baby Quilt. I ask the shop owner to order the mini XBlock templates called belly buttons so I can make wall hangings. I'm telling you people, this XBlock template will be the rage for months. My next template project will be the trapezoid that you can make grandmothers flower garden without paper piecing and inset seams. McCall's Quilting did a nice article and quilt on it. Its super simple and will be the next big thing. IMHO!
I am making good headway on my ALQS hanging, I hope to get it done by Oct for the Peanut Festival. I got my invite to enter the competition. The year will have cash prizes! A first for me! I found a little mini I made last year and forgot about, I will be entering that too. Wish me luck!
Keep On Stitchin' On!
(mauh) Liz

quick post

hiyall,
just a quick post tonight, several things to tell you:
~the demo at the shop went well, I have 6 students for the XBlock class! yea me! I will post on sunday on how it went.
~ THE martha stewart is looking to check out bloggers. drop by and leave a comment and link her site in a comment on your blog. who knows? we may end up infamous bloggers!
http://www.themarthablog.com/2008/09/how-to-create-your-own-blog-let-us-show-you.
~I found a couple of really cute halloween towels at the dollar store, guess what Im gonna make out of them? huh?huh?huh? I will post pics soon!
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(muah) Liz

Shop sample

hiyall,

As promised, pictures of the shop sample I designed and made for the Quilting Bee Quilt Shop's 6th annverisary. I used the XBlock template and some great fabrics from the shop. I will be doing a demo on the template and hopefully set up some classes to teach. wish me luck!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

Progress!

hiyall,

I'm definitely making progress on my ALQS mini quilt. Of course I changed my mind on some of the fabric I showed you on the last post. I have switched out 4 fabric, all from my stash. here is a

sneak peek of my progress! I have taken the blocks to my job, to work on the hand work during my lunch hour. I'm getting alot of oooooo! and ahhhhhhs! on them. I will have this finished before the November deadline. I may have to enter it in October into the local county fair in Suffolk, Va called the Peanut Festival. I have entered before and done well. This mini will be very hard to give up!

I am having FUN with this XBlock template! I am making a shop sample of a table runner. The shops anniversary is next week and I will be doing a demo and hopefully a class. I will be using the streak of lightening pattern. I have 4 great fabric to play with in luscious fall colors! Of course I will post pictures when I'm done. I have the weekend off and since tropical storm Hannah will keep me inside........I will be very busy sewing. Yeahhhhh me!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

a sneak peek and a giveaway!

Hiyall!
This is my sneak peek of the fabrics I will be using for the ALQS! The colors are little off, especailly the 'white'. its not white, it is actually a tone on cream material. the flash on the camera washed the true color out. but yall get the gist. I hope my person likes it. I got all of the fabric from my stash! including the batting!
I found this magazine at Joanns yesterday, isn't that turtle cute cute cute! As I was reading it, who did I find? Its bonnie hunter of quiltville fame! she has another article in quiltmaker! who knew? I am a member of her online forum thru Yahoo. She has created a mystery for us for Labor Day. I will be doing it later on. I have to work labor day(aint retail grand, snicker-snort). It has alot of good article in it and a good review of the Janome 6600P, my dream machine. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

Last but not least, I have found another giveaway! http://sugarshop.typepad.com/ is have a giveaway of a $75 gift certificate at a online quilt shop! After this long standing fabric diet I have been on, I am in need of some serious fabric retail theraphy! Keep On Stitich'n On! (mauh) Liz

new product alert!

hiyall!

brace yourself, Im in a chatty mooooood.

I have several new products to tell you about. yall remember the ruler attachment called the gripper? looks like a old fashion telephone receiver. I didn't like it, it was too big and cumbersome. the website announce that they had developed a smaller gripper called " the Amazing Little Gripper''. Ladies and gents, this is a MUST have! My local quilt shop (The Quilting Bee of Chesapeake, Va) is carrying them and I got one today! I love it!!! It is the perfect size for me. no more doing the 'spider dance' with my hands on the ruler to keep it in place. Go to this website and check out the info. there is a instruction sheet that you can print out on how to use it. http://www.thegypsyquilter.com/thegypsygripper.htm

I'm telling ya people, you will LOVE it. Runs around 7 bucks and worth it! I have carpel tunnel in both wrist as well as early signs of arthritis in my fingers. This little gadget has helped me a lot! Quick to grab the ruler, quick to release it!

You see that blue ruler that looks like a wonky nine patch? Its call the X-Block template. That is the latest rage going right now. You take a nine patch block, use the lines on the ruler (BTW, the blue is the protective coating that most acrylic rulers come with, its peels off easily) to line up the degree of wonkiness (is that a real word? haaaaa, it is now) then trim off the edges. Go to this website to read all about it. http://www.patriciapepe.com/X-Blocks.html Again, I got the template from my LQS, I am doing a shop sample with it, I have decided on a fall table runner. The shop is celebrating its 6Th anniversary and I will do a demo with it and teach a class. I will combine the Little Gripper and the X-Block template for the demo. The Little Gripper fits perfectly in the middle of the 6 1/2 X-Block. Of course I will post pictures when I get the sample done.

Last new product to tell you about. See that big green bag in the picture that says GoGreen/Joann? Yup. Joann Fabrics has jumped on the recycle bag wagon. Cost is $1!! This is a very generous size bag! Its big enough to hold a full size quilt! Its made of the same material that all the grocery store recycled bags are made from. The bottom has a thin, fabric covered cardboard piece that supports the bottom. I'm not liking it too well. I will take 2 pieces of plastic canvas, cut it to size of the cardboard and cover the pieces with fabric. It will make a firmer support and wont SNAP in half if I put too much in the bag. I have done that with my other recycled bags and it works great.

ok, I have chit chatted enough, I do have MORE to write about tomarrow!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

a giveaway!

hiyall,
had to tell you about a blog giveaway! it is at http://calamityjanescottage.blogspot.com/
it is a stinking' cute bag/purse. ya gotta go see it and check out her website of goodies too!
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(muah) Liz

Swap Time!

hiyall!
I really need to post more often (hanging head in shame).

Today I got my ALQS person! I join the swap earlier this month ( for more info, click on the icon to the left) and today in email I got the name and preferences info! I have been itching to start this mini quilt but I held off til I got the mini bio on my person. I'm glad I did, this person has the same taste as I do. I was going to go in a completely different direction but now I have a better plan. The quilt is due in November. I will have plenty of time to get this mini gem created and in the mail.
Not much has been happening. My son has a new job and is a very happy camper. He is making more money and has less responsibility. He was getting pretty discussed with his old job and finally got off his butt and went looking for another. He had been at his old job for almost 10 years. He started when he was a junior in high school and stayed there after he graduated. My nephew is trying to get him to go back to school. This mother would love it if he would........
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

cuteness alert!

Hiyall!

just had to show off these adorable baby booties! You can get the pattern at this website, its in pdf file so you can save it to your harddrive and print copies out when ever you want! next will be the burp cloths!

http://www.newconceptions.com/free.htm I sent a picture of these booties to my son via the cell phone and he texted back......dont hold your breath! I raised a brat......

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

Its a girl!

hiyall,

My co worker who received the cute pink quilt last month gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! Lily Reese was born last night about 1045pm. 20 inches long and a couple ounces shy of 8 lbs! when mommy left on the 15Th to go on maternity leave, we knew it wouldn't be long. She belly dropped big time right before she left. I know Lily's mommy is glad she has finally come into the world. Welcome Lily, has Auntie B gots some good stuff for you!

On the purse front. In the August issue of American Patchwork and Quilting is an adorable purse made from kitchen towels! I saw the pattern and had to make one. I went to the dollar store and bought 2 towels, then to joanns to get the handles (on sale of course!). Cost me less than $4 to make. I will have to make more! I will be using fat quarters this time, add pockets to the inside and put a bottom support in it.

My friend Mary Beth who owns the Quilt Shop that I teach at, has started a blog for her shop! Please stop by and read about Ms Violet Sugarwater and her Beez. http://www.violetsugarwater.blogspot.com/

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

A rose grows in hoodieville!

hiyall,

quick entry tonight, as promise I am posting a pic of my itty bitty rose bush that survived the 'bush whacking'. Last week it bloomed! I am feeding and watering it one a week and it is thriving. Its an itty bitty rose bud, no bigger than your thumnail, but it is a survivor!enjoy!

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

Long time no write~

hiyall,

I bet yall thought I dropped of the face of the earth, eh? well.....I almost did. Work has been hell the last couple of weeks, alot of unnessary stress, bull butter and crap. last winter I was promoted to bookkeeper at the orange box I work at. the bookkeeper I was to be working WITH left for another job, and I was 1/2 ass trained and left to defend for myself. after a couple of months, one of the old bookkeepers came back and I thought, great! I will get help and have a team player......WRONG. sooooooooooo...I decided to step down to being a cashier again......I like being a cashier, except for the occassional drunk asshole contractor. I lost my postion as a reg lumber yard cashier, I will have to be a floater agin. maybe be trained as a returns cashier. I have applications out and I hope to hear from other companys. I really like bookkeeping, it solitude work and I am fairly good at it. What I dont like is being pulled in several directions and having veiled threats on my job for overtime and dealing with all the miscommunications. I know that these are comman in many companys, but Im tired of fighting to do my job. I take pride in doing a job well done and lately it has been a major struggle.

But enough about my major pitty party. I finally got to meet my internet quiltmaker/truck driving buddy Nancy! She had a shipment to pick up in my area and we arranged to meet at a truck stop. She had her little companion Foxy with her as usual and we had a blast! I got to sit in the drivers seat and she gave me the keys to the truck to start up! brave woman that nancy.....prior to that silly me fell out of the truck. I misstepped coming out of the cab and tweeked my hip. I ended up with bruises and very sore hip. Things are much better now, hip feels good and bruises are almost gone. Foxy is a tiny little pomeranian and cute as a button. perky and happy little pup he be. Next time Nancy comes this way we may hit a couple of quilt shops or a powwow.

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

cute alert!

hiyall,

I have something cute cute cute for you! As you probably know, most of the expert will tell you, don't sweat trying to find large amounts of time to quilt. Take what increment amount of time you can spare. I have done this for years. On my last trip to Joannes, I was 'vulturing' around the dollar rack. You know, the area where they have a lot of cute stuff for a buck. My JA has been caring a lot of kitchen items. In the rack I found this Chicky Baby (my name for it) timer! Is this not the cutest timer you have ever seen? It goes from one minute to 60. It has a nice loud bell on it too. I have been sewing in 15 and 30 min segments using this timer. Its very quiet and it surprises me when the bell goes off. I'm thinking, wow, that was a fast 30 minutes! If you get a chance to go to Joannes this weekend, look for the chick timer. It well worth the dollar! or in this case......bawk....get it? bawk....bawk....bawk.......

Have a safe holiday tomarrow, remember to honor the men and women in our armed forces and thank them for their duty to our country.

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

Finish Five in July Challenge

hiyall,
I have another challenge to tell yall about. Go to http://happyinquilting.blogspot.com/
and read all about Peg's challenge on finishing 5 UFOs in july. I already have a slight jump start with the baby quilt mentioned on the last blog entry. I was playing around with a split 4patch blocks and trying to design a new quilt. As usual I soon got bored with it and went on to another project. When my co-worker announced that she was preggers with a girl, I thought.....I have a pretty in pink quilt started, I will finish it for her! I pulled the fabrics to finish it and once agin put it aside. Then I was reminded about the baby shower and got my bat butt in gear to finish it. woohooo! one down.....four to go! Peg even sent me a purty award! I would post it on this blog but blogspot is still hating me......grrrrrrrr
Keep On Stitch'n On!
(mauh) Liz

baby quilts are always a hit at a shower

hiyall,

I had a very busy weekend. I finished a baby quilt on saturday and presented it on sunday. I even had time to design and make a cell phone pouch as a shower game prize. this is a picture of the quilt I made. blocks are simple split 4 patches with 3 borders. the size is approx 32 square. She wants to hang on the wall in the nursery so I made it smaller than I usually make them. mommy wanted pink, I went thru my 2.5 blocks and pulled out all the white and pinks. I always add a narrow border of yellow for friendship. I have a picture of mommy and the quilt but blogger is not co-operating with me.

I had fun designing the cell phone pouch. I it was quick and easy. It has a magnet snap closure and an adjustable strap. Strap goes across the chest like a mini side pouch. I am seriously thinking about opening a store at the Etsy place. A website where people like me can sell things.

Its still inthe planning stages.

Keep On Stitch'n On!

(mauh) Liz

you know this is funny......

hiyall,

a friend sent me this, its title is redneck seafood......I laugh so hard, I almost peed on myself. hot dogs and mac and cheese was a staple in my house when son was growing up. I wish I had thought of cutting up the hotdog like this. My son would have eaten all his food.

Keep On Stitichn' On!

(mauh) Liz

apple core mini

hiyall,

As promise, a picture of my applecore mini I made 2 years ago during my lunch hour at work. Sometimes I refer to my lunch hour minis as 'the hour of therapy power' When I sit down to eat, it usually only takes about 15 mins to wolf it down. ok...that gives me at least another 30 mins to do something. what to do? hmmmm......that is enough time to so some hand sewing! right now I have 2 kits in my locker. One is a drunkard path(blocks are 2 inch) and the other one is a Churn Dash(blocks are 3 inch). I alternate working on each. The applecore took about 4 months working off and on. I didnt use any batting and use the birthing method instead of layering and binding. I did enter it in the local county fair called the Peanut Fest and won 2nd place! It may have won first if I had used batting and binding. I couldnt see my patience being push that far on curved binding. enjoy!

Keep On Stitchn' On!

(mauh) Liz