Hmmm......follow-up to brown bag post.....

Gee....I'm glad I asked all of you for input on yesterday's post....really I am. Those of you who said I like the more muted colors are correct. As for which of those 4 was my least favorite, it was D (the group of all dots)......because it didn't have enough "oomph". (I love dots, though.) There were a couple of suggestions that involved juggling fabric around. They both involved Group A.......which looked THIS way on my post yesterday: (click to see the fabrics better)Gene (who is an artist and has a good eye for color) suggested I get rid of the green (which made my heartbeat go crazy as you know I LOVE green fabrics)....and he thought I should use the blue from Group B instead to bring out the blue in the focus fabric....which would result in THIS: (again, click to see the fabrics better). We will call this the GENE Pool of fabrics!!! (Pretty clever name, huh??)
Then.....Nancy....who is a dotty, blogging friend....loving all things polka dotted.....suggested I take one of the polka dot fabrics and use it in Group A....but she didn't tell me which ONE to use and which fabric to pull OUT of Group A. So...I played around and came up with THIS, which I will call Dotty Nancy. Please click on this one and look at it close-up.What do you think? I could live with either of these OR with Group A as it was originally (and is the first one pictured above). I could also live with Group C from yesterday (which was this one):
I have eliminated yesterday's Group B from this process.....I do like the focus fabric in that group, but overall, it is just not ME (which most of you realized)...and Group D with all the dots was too boring with no focus fabric, so that is eliminated now, too. So...which do you like best of these two......Gene Pool or Dotty Nancy??? Gosh...I love all you bloggers who are willing to help and point out things I miss about fabric combos. If I was making this item myself and knew WHAT it was going to be....a wall-hanging, table runner, or whatever, I'd have an easier time choosing fabrics, I'm sure. BUT..... for this project, I have to choose something that would look good as anything that the person makes for me...and that seems a lot harder!!!

I'll be "brown-bagging" soon......

I'm going to be brown-bagging soon and I need your help in choosing my LUNCH. No....just kidding. I'm not taking my lunch with me to work (because I am retired and don't GO anywhere to work now...just work out of my home), but I'm doing a fun guild activity. Maybe some of you have done this with your guilds. You sign up at a meeting and take a brown bag (that is empty).....like this one.....

The directions say to take your brown bag home, fill it with 4 fat quarters you like and put your name inside the bag, staple it closed and bring it to the next meeting. At that meeting, the brown bags will be redistributed and you will take one home that is NOT your own. You will then use the 4 fat quarters inside there (and can add other fabrics, if you wish) to make something for the person whose brown bag you have. We have 5 months in which to do this, so it's plenty of time and you can make anything.......but bigger than 12 inches if it's a wall-hanging or something like that. So....I have started to look at some fabrics I have here in order to decide on the fat quarters I will send away in MY brown bag to be made into a surprise for me. I'm having trouble deciding, so maybe you can look and tell me what you think.........and maybe NONE of these are good and you'll tell me I need to go buy something new before the next meeting or that I need to substitute one of the fabrics but you like the rest of that group. It seems this guild has made many different things in their brown bag projects.....wall-hangings, table runners, purses, pillow covers, etc. It should be a fun experience. Please look at what I've "auditioned" in the photos below and tell me your feelings about them, okay? They are grouped in no particular order and there is one that I now don't really like for this project, but I'll leave it here just to see what kinds of comments it might generate. Please click on them to see them in greater detail as it might help with your comments.

GROUP A:

GROUP B:

GROUP C:

GROUP D:Thanks for your help with this!

And a 4th block.......

Here is a photo of a 4th block for the green/neutral no-sew-block swap I've been talking about here lately. This one was chosen by Kaye (click here for her blog). She chose a block called Friendship Star Variation. I took this photo rather late last night so I could have it ready for the blog post...so please don't mind that I didn't do the best angle for it....but I think you can still get the idea of how it looks. I believe all of the participants' fabrics (all cut and bagged) are either here or on their way here now. So that will mean one day soon (hopefully, next week), I can get them in the mail to everyone. It will be fun to see how everyone sets their blocks and to see how different the quilts will look...even though it's all the same blocks AND the same fabric for each block.

Having a little photo fun........

We've been told to expect a "winter event" tomorrow night and through Saturday..UGH...enough, already! Let's break the winter "blues" here by having a little photo fun. If you have photos online by any kind of date, go back 5 years and go to your 5th folder of photos and then click on the 5th photo (follow that??) and post it on your blog. If your photos aren't quite that organized, then just go to your saved photos and find the 5th photo in your 5th group. AND...if THAT won't work for you, just go back and find a photo that is at least a few years old and post it on your blog! Here is what I found in my 2005 file of photos... in the 5th folder (which was labeled Bird Feeder in Yard) and this is the 5th photo in there. AHHHHHH......love this reminder that nice days will be here again in a few months!!! Can you see the pretty goldfinch? Click the photo if you want to see it close-up.

Our neighborhood quilt group.....

Yesterday, the Lakeside Ladies (our neighborhood quilting group) met at my house. We didn't do any sewing....just had a show and tell and also planned our next few get-togethers. I had my camera right there and only took one picture......what is up with THAT? It's the picture you see here of Linda (no blog) admiring the signature block swap quilt that Kaye (click here for her blog) is working on right now. There were other things shown by the gals, but I didn't take any other pictures. I need to be a bit more attentive to that, I guess! Next time (2 weeks) we will meet at Sherry's house and they want me to show them how to make that fractured diamond table runner (that I showed here a few posts back).

The Ohio Star and......

I have started collecting some fabrics for sashing and borders for the green no-sew-block-swap quilt. They are in the second photo below. The first photo shows the Ohio Star block that I made yesterday. The pretty fabric for this block was chosen, cut, and sent to me by Cecelia (who is on a wonderful, well-deserved vacation right now). Some asked after my previous post for me to explain what a "no-sew-block-swap" was. It is a swap in which each participant does not SEW any blocks for others but just chooses the fabric and cuts it out and puts the needed fabric for the block in a baggie for each participant. They then send all the baggies (except their own) to the swap leader and she sends each participant a baggie for each block. All the sewing is done by each person making the quilt........which allows for consistent sized-seams (one of the things that can often be a problem in swaps and can result in inconsistent-sized blocks). I can tell you it is NICE to be in the mood to sew a block and not to have to do any cutting....to just grab a baggie and sew!!!The color on these didn't photograph well.....the one on the left has a very pale yellowish background with the green vines flowing across it. The one on the right is a beige background with little tiny clovers on it. Once I see all the greens from the participants, I will get a green for cornerstones and also maybe for part of one of the borders. Since I love green, I am really happy with the way these blocks are looking so far.

Another green block.....

You might recall I am moderating a "no-sew-block-swap" using green/neutral fabrics. So far, I have the fabrics from 6 of the participants and 2 more are on their way. (There are 12 of us in this swap.) I decided yesterday to reach into the bin where I'm keeping all of this and randomly pull out one of the baggies so I could make one of the blocks. (This is one of the advantages of being the moderator....I get the fabrics for the swap before everyone else!!! LOL) The one I pulled out happened to be Kathy's and she had chosen the Churn Dash, so I used the fabric she provided and had already cut to make this block. I like the fabrics she provided and I also am pleased with how the block turned out.....you can click on it to enlarge it, if you wish.Here is a photo of that same block alongside the block that I made with the fabrics I chose (and cut up for the other participants). This block is called "Austin" (on the Quilters' Cache website). I'm excited about working on a green quilt as green seems to be my favorite color of fabric!
Today I will be off to the post office to mail my February wonky cottages (that I showed here a few days back) to the other gals in that swap. The gals are scattered all around ....FL......the midwest......the northwest....up and down the east coast...and in Canada. One of the gals lives quite near to me, though, so I delivered hers in person yesterday!

Cute & quick......

Sometimes you need a quick project...but it has to be something cute.....that gives you instant gratification. Well....my good blogging buddy, Rachel (click HERE for her blog) showed a tea wallet on her blog recently. I asked her if she could link me to a tutorial and she did. I looked at it last night and....within 45 minutes (including fabric selection time and total cutting and sewing time), I came up with this.
I really like it and will carry it in my purse frequently. It is just the right size for 4 teabags (as you can see below) or, perhaps, 2 teabags and 2 packages of sweetener if you have a special one that you like to use. I think it's really cute...and would make a sweet little gift, too. If you wish to make one, HERE is the tutorial I used.

A summer runner in progress........

A blogger friend, Rhonda (click HERE for her blog), showed a fractured diamond wall-hanging she made and put the tutorial on her blog several days back. I decided I wanted to make a runner using that technique. I have the main part of it done....and that is what you see in this photo. (You might be able to click on it to see it a bit larger.) I am going to see if I have enough strips to make full diamonds on the left side and the right side. If not, I'll just have to put a border there. I will also put some borders on the long sides......still puzzling over in my mind what color would look best for border(s). I am not totally pleased with my colors so far....although I love the main print (which is strawberries with bees buzzing among the plants). I am liking this technique, though, and will probably use it again for something else someday. Thanks to Rhonda for the good "lesson". If you go to her blog, look back to see her completed wall-hanging...it's really great!

A "finish"......sort of........

A few times, I've mentioned a cottage block swap I'm in....a year-long project involving 12 of us. We each chose a month and made 12 cottages for that month (using fabric appropriate for that month) and sent them to the others. We began in May. My month was February and yesterday I finished my 12 February cottages. Here is a picture of them:
And here is a picture of a few of them close-up.......the door, sky, roof, and window on each is from the same fabric, but otherwise, I did vary them a bit. Each person will get a tiny red heart-shaped button to use as a doorknob (to be attached after their project has been quilted). They should go in the mail on Monday. They were fun to make!
These are the 10 cottages I have so far......January is the top left one...then February....still need to get March and April....and then the rest continue in order....shell fabric for May...roses in June...patriotic in July.....beachy fabric for August, etc. Pretty cute, huh? It will be fun to turn them into a quilt...I'm thinking a lap/throw-sized quilt will be nice to have.AND......Stephanie from "A Ditchin' Time Quilts" nominated me for the Lemonade Stand blog award.......Thanks, Steph!!! I am honored that you think my blog is good enough for that award. I am to pick 10 others, but....since I keep up with more than 150 blogs now, I cannot possibly choose the 10 "best".......so if you are reading this and IF I am a regular reader/commenter of YOUR blog, considered yourself nominated, okay....because, you know I only read GREAT blogs!!!! :)

PENGUINS.....

Did you know yesterday was National Penguin Awareness Day? I didn't, but Tonya was kind enough to inform me. (She knows...as do some of the rest of you....that I am a penguin "nut"!!!) Even though I have many penguins in the house I could have put here, I found this online and thought it was too cute not to share. So.......even though I'm a day late, I hope I did my part to make you more aware of penguins!! LOL

What a MAIL day!!!

Gee......I laid down yesterday for a nap so my arm would get some rest and not be in use all afternoon long. When I got up, hubby told me to look out in the kitchen as there was mail for me. Was there ever?? Wow!!! There were 3 things. I dug into them like a kid on Christmas morning. Here is what I got.....

This first one wasn't a surprise, but it was appreciated.....the baggies of swap fabric from Pat M (Ooglebloops...click to see her blog). Yippee!!! Barb's arrived the other day from Amerika Samoa....and now this one. It is fun to open these as they arrive.....and 9 more are expected in the next few weeks! (I know...I know...I didn't show the fabric....the participants just have to wait until they get their swap stuff early in February!!) Thanks for getting this here well before the deadline, Pat.
Next was a surprise package I knew was being sent...but I didn't know what was in it. A blogging friend from Texas....PAT (click to see her blog).......said I had inspired her to pick up and work on finishing a quilt she started when her granddaughter was little...and now this granddaughter is about to graduate. (I'm not quite sure how I inspired her to do that, but.......she said I did, so who am I to argue....right?) Anyway...she said she had something for awhile that she'd hoped to make and decided she'd rather give it to me now. Isn't that fun?? It's a cute pattern, as you can see, making hearts out of log-cabin blocks. I'm thinking after I do that, I can easily use that idea to make a shamrock out of log-cabin blocks!!! Thanks, Pat!!! (Must have been "Pat" day....first two things FROM gals named Pat and TO a gal named Pat....LOL)The last package was a real surprise. I saw it was from Tonya (click to see her blog) and was certain I knew what was inside the box.......another set of fabric baggies for the green no-sew block swap. Well...was I ever wrong!!! You can see what "popped" out of that box when I opened it.....It's a Jim Shore angel ornament!!! Yippee!!! This little gal will stay out with the collection all year long, but she will be hung lovingly on my tree next year. Tonya said she had this angel for awhile and wanted me to have her. She also sent some candy (which you know I'll enjoy!!!) The angel was wrapped in lots of pieces of batting and fiberfill.........so I can use that with small sewing projects. Thanks, Tonya.......this was very kind of you and such a surprise, too!

A "get-away" day.....

Yesterday hubby and I had a "getaway" day to Dover. For us, that is the "big city"......about 40 miles north of here with many more stores than we have here. The day promised to be sunny and warm, so off we went (after being sure good friend Linda No-Blog was able to let our dog out midday). First stop was the Amish fabric shop. You need to go on a day with good light as the only source of light other than the windows in that shop is some small gas lanterns. Hubby enjoyed looking out the back window at a little Amish girl handing clothing piece-by-piece to an Amish woman to hang on the clothesline. It was really cute! I got some fabric there.......
some are "just because" fabrics and the 4 on the right, I believe I will use to make a "fractured diamond" runner using a technique shown on Rhonda's blog. She made a great quilt with that technique. Go look to see how easy it is (and tell her I sent you).I also got a few other items there but I'm not showing them as they are going to be put aside for my next giveaway....which isn't too far off and is only for my regular readers who comment on my blog (so....stay tuned!!!) We made a stop at the Amish food store and then we went to Joann Fabrics as there were some very good sales there yesterday. Actually, we went there TWICE. When we first went, it was super-crowded and there were no shopping carts available and the line at the cutting table was VERRRRRRY long. We decided to leave and go to a few other stores and to eat lunch and then went back there. Since my arm is still sore, hubby was kind enough to go into the store with me (usually he'll wait in the car at that store!) and helped me load bolts of fabric into the cart. This is my haul from there: green fleece that I am going to use as my backing for the siggy quilt so it will be nice and cozy!
I also got some Kona cottons....black and white...on sale for just $2.99 a yard.....GREAT price! The fabric on the right isn't showing well in the photo...it's a pretty green with a gold design in it....I will use that to make new valances for the kitchen windows.Then I went a little bit DOTTY....as you can see. The one on the right will be used for some of the centers of the pineapple quilt blocks I'll soon be starting. The others will be part of a "collection"....you know....that good old "just because" collection!!! I did get some boring tan flannel that I use as a thin batting in some of my runners and also some boring Heat & Bond Lite.....not showing them as they are not fun to see. (Kind of like underwear....a necessity but no fun to buy or view! LOL)Oh, yes....one more really fun purchase....a Jim Shore figurine to add to my collection and this one is suitable for Valentine's Day. It is a kitty and it's called "Cozy Heart". Isn't it cute? Now.....just so you don't think it was all about ME in Dover, hubby got a new game for our Wii. It's a music game and he is loving it so far. We both had a good "getaway day"!!!

Happy photos.....

I am sick of winter weather. We've had sustained cold (that is much colder than normal for our area) and then a teaser day where it went up to almost 60.....and yesterday a chilly day of downpours that ended with a good bit of fog, thunder, and lightning. I need visions of spring and summer...so I went back and dug out some photos to remind me of that. I thought some of you might like to see them, too. (For those who have emailed to inquire.....my arm is a good bit better but still not anywhere near as good as I'd hoped it would be after a few days of "rest".)

Ahhhh......blueberry picking (click to enlarge to see some of the berries)......LOVE to go berry picking! (I ate some of them last night.....that had been put in the freezer during the summer.....and they were yummy!)
I will be happy when my butterfly bushes are blooming and coax the butterflies back to the yard. There are many varieties of butterflies here in our area and I enjoy sitting on the porch and watching them.I know once we get past January, February will go quickly and then we will start to have some "springlike" days here.....and I am READY!!!

Just practicing.....

I bet you expected to see me practicing something.....like free-motion quilting or needle turn applique. Well....you're wrong. It's not me. See this towel? It's "practicing" being on my oven handle for when it makes its debut in the fall. Isn't it a GREAT towel? Barb made it for me and sent it in her package with the green/white block swap baggies. Thanks, Barb!! I love it. Now....Miss Towel, much as I love you, it's time to fold yourself back up and get in the drawer.....and you can't come back out yet for awhile!! I want you to be a surprise for my guests when they see you in October!

Short post.....

Wrist and shoulder still bothering me but JoAnn's suggestions are good ones (in her comment yesterday here)...thanks, JoAnn!

Look at these photos.....fabric that jumped into my arms when going to buy the extra yardage of the dotted fabric I needed for the siggy block quilt. How DOES it happen that fabric just jumps out at us and insists on coming home with us?

These fabrics will be used in a "healthy" food quilt I hope to make...already have lots of other food prints to use in it (modeled after Peggy's "junk food" quilt...but healthy since I need to start eating healthier!!!)I say these fabrics are "just because fabrics" (just because I liked them!)

Might have to take a blog break for a day or two....

Most of you know I've blogged daily since I began, but I may need to take a day or two off because my right wrist carpal tunnel problem is really acting up....even involving my shoulder now. It really hurts to sit and type but since I must type for my part-time medical transcription job, I will have to focus on that when I'm at the computer. IF the pain is minimal, I'll try to blog, too, but if I'm not here for the next couple of days, that will be the reason. Also....I will sit and read some blogs, but if it continues to hurt this much, I won't be commenting on many blogs, either....so don't think I deserted you!!! I'll be back! LOL

Yesterday I put together the signature blocks from the birthday "siggy" block swap I was in last year. Below are two photos of how that looks so far. I decided to put a polka dotted fabric (white dots on black background) as the sashing. You can't see it that well in the first photo but in the second, it's more evident...and if you click on the photo, you will see it even better. I have decided I would like that same fabric for the border so the blocks will appear to "float" in the dotted fabric. I really like the way it looks with this fabric as the sashing. I will go and buy more of the fabric (probably today) and then work on the borders over the weekend.....IF I get my medical typing done. (This is the time I wish I had a trained "substitute" for that typing as I'm really very uncomfortable at the keyboard right now.)

Organizing wall-hangings and runners......

When I told you I was working on the closet in the sewing room (which is also where the grandkids sleep when they visit), I don't think I mentioned that I organized my wall-hangings and runners. For awhile now, I have clipped them on skirt/pants hangers and kept them in that closet. Often, though, I'd forget about one for a certain holiday and find it at a totally different time of the year and be disappointed that I'd not used it. SOOO...I decided to make some cute tags to hang on the hangers and grouped the pieces together according to holiday or season. For some holidays, I have more than one hanger. I also put them "in order" in the closet from left to right. As I put the Christmas ones back in the closet, I put them all the way to the right......and now the Valentine ones are next-in-line to be used. If I continue to do that, I can rotate them so the next holiday/season's pieces are right in front of me when I open the closet door!!! Here are a few of my hangers with the tags I made for them. I think it will be much easier now to get things out for each holiday/season, don't you?

Valentine's Day pieces....(one has a St. Patrick's design on the back so it's reversible in case you click on this to enlarge and wonder about that green that is peeking out!)Some Easter pieces are on this hanger.......And here are some patrioitic pieces.........It was fun to get this all organized so nicely!

The block is done...

Yesterday I did get to make my sample block for the green/neutral no-sew block swap. This is a photo of it. It is called Austin and it's one of the many 12" blocks listed on Quilter's Cache. It's a simple block, but I like it a lot I also cut out the fabrics for this block for the 11 other gals in the swap. I ran into a little snag.....running OUT of the lighter green fabric for two of the other gals. I called the quilt shop and...luckily, I recalled the name of the fabric (as it is a silly name......."I wish, I wish, I'd catch a fish" by Tricia Cribbs for Northcott Fabric. The gal at the quilt shop went to their green shelf and came back to tell me they have a good bit of it left on the bolt. I will go there this morning to get it. While I only need a half-yard more, I will get more of it to keep for myself as I do like that fabric a lot.

The best-laid plans......

Well..I was going to spend a good part of yesterday sewing and also some time using our new Wii Fitness Plus unit. Neither one happened, because I got bit by the "closet-cleaning bug" and started on the closet that is in the sewing room/grandkids' bedroom. Now...maybe some of you are better about those chores than I am....but with ME, I need to tackle closets when I'm in the mood, otherwise they will never get done! So....I sorted through toys the grandkids no longer play with and boxed them up for the thrift shop. Then I tried to reorganize the closet to hold more of my sewing stuff (since there were fewer toys in there). I still want to change a few things around, but I did make some changes that make me happy. The photo here is of the fabric I WOULD have used if I'd sewn yesterday. I am doing a no-sew green/neutral swap with some blogging friends. I am going to do a block called Austin (on Quilter's Cache). The paper you see by the fabrics is that block. Hopefully, I will get one sewn today and will be able to show it here tomorrow.

Am I the only one.......?

*sigh* Am I the only one who feels sad when the Christmas tree is taken down? Please tell me I'm not! I know it's a lot of work to put it up and also to take it down and pack the ornaments away (and some might feel good when the job is done), but Iwe am not happy when it's gone. Aside from the space looking "bare", I miss the prettiness of the tree at night...when the house is quiet and I can sit and hand-sew or read and enjoy the fireplace and the tree. We took ours down last night (we leave it up through Epiphany and take it down as soon as we can after that). I'm a bit melancholy about it now....but I'll recover by tomorrow! Here is a photo of part of the tree and the fireplace. Isn't it pretty? Okay.......I'll get over it now and do some sewing today and show you a sewing photo tomorrow. (Thanks for letting me whine a bit here today.)

Oh, my.......

NOTE: Blogger has been acting weird. I typed this to appear on Sunday morning and it appeared Saturday night...so some of you might be seeing it for the second time!!! Blogger can be nuts sometimes!!!
I have a free-standing cabinet...a tall one...in which there are many shelves. A year or so back, I organized it and put things in bags and boxes. I then made a nice list on the computer and taped it inside the door. The list tells me what is in each box and on each shelf. Very impressive to see, I can assure you. Of course, I have hardly looked in there since that time. I'm not sure why I was in there yesterday....but I happened to look at the list and saw a line that said "Valentine placemats in progress.....2 baggies.....shelf 5". Okay......that sounded promising, so I went to shelf 5 and found them easily. WOW.....great system....it really works. I then opened the bags and found this.......what a MESS!!! Several strips of Valentine's-themed fabric popped out on the tabletop (nearly exploded out, to be more honest about it). I saw just a very SMALL part of a quilt-as-you-go placemat in progress. I had been hoping that "in progress" meant the placemats would be further along. You know....as in......nearly DONE. *sigh* I have three swaps for which I need to get moving and also have my UFO challenge project to do this month. I needed those placemats to be further along than that! Well.....the placemat project is now back in the two baggies and I might get it done for Valentine's Day.....in 2011!!! For now, the project has been banished back to shelf #5 in my wonderfully organized cabinet.

From YUCKY to YUMMY......

Gotta love this.....I posted yesterday about my yucky dark (85% cocoa) chocolate and how I was about to throw it in the trash. A friend (no blog) had emailed me a couple of recipe links, but I didn't have all the ingredients. Then....Terry from Terry's Treasures blog mentioned a brownie recipe. I got it from her and made it......a set of photos is below. My chocolate turned from yucky to yummy very quickly!!! Mary from the Needled Mom blog has another good recipe I'll try at some point in the future. THANKS for all who rescued my chocolate from going in the trash....and....sorry, Gene, but it doesn't get sent in the mail to you and Linda B is out of luck, too!!! LOL

We woke up to a snowfall that was pretty and not very problematic.......a nice day to bake....so I was happy to have that yucky chocolate and Terry's recipe at my disposal. This is how it looked out my kitchen window as I was preparing the brownies for baking.
Here is that yucky, bitter chocolate ready for the microwaveAnd now it's all melted with butter.....it's looking better already, don't you think?Ahhhhh...now we have added other good things like sugar and vanilla and nuts....and I added raisins as we love raisins.......ready for the oven now!Out of the oven now and nearly ready for a taste test (even though it's early in the morning!)I decided to top off my brownie with a tiny bit (and you can see it IS a tiny bit) of egg nog flavored ice cream. I cannot begin to tell you how YUMMY the chocolate had become now!!!And......I tried to be good by only letting a few of the brownies be eaten now....and the rest were put (two in a bag) into the freezer for eating at a "sensible" rate over the next several weeks!