Lanterns Bloom #2 - Finished!

 The "leftover" quilt, Lanterns Bloom #2 is officially finished!

1.  Patches

2.  Cut apart, rotate, and put back together.

3.  Add borders, backing, and batting.  Quilt.  Bind. 

 4.  Done!

5.  Wrap yourself up and enjoy.

Girls Night Out

Tonight my friend Charlotte, who is a Stampin' Up demonstrator, hosted our first workshop since the new catty came out.  Fun!  She had such great ideas that I just had to share.  I honestly haven't stamped since I cleaned up my stamping area when my kids came to visit in April.  Why?  Maybe because my stamping area looked so tidy I just couldn't bear to mess it up?

Here is the first card we made.  Very easy.  It used  the new Greehouse Gala DSP and the Big Shot Square Lattice embossing folder.  (The Big Shot sure makes embossing easy - how did we ever manage with a brass plate and a stylus?  That probably explains why I didn't do much of it!)  The card is very simple, but nice.  Obviously, I need to cut the ribbon, but overall, I think, a lovely card.  I was using glue, which I almost never do, but I forgot to take my tape runner, and so beggars can't be choosers, you know?  Anyway, I didn't really realize how fast the glue would dry when the two layers were put together, so I wasn't able to adjust the top flower when I realized it was a little off.  Oh well.  Something to remember for next time.

My second card didn't turn out as well as I would have liked.  It was a fussy, vintage card, and Charlotte's sample was beautiful.  Mine suffered from inexpertly applied 2-way glue and an attempt to compensate with too much glitter, which meant it didn't photograph well at all.  Probably just as well.

The third card was adorable and elegant at the same time.  How does that happen?  I loved the stamp set, and the inside sentiment, "If you are what you eat, eat something cute," was fun.  The card used another Big Shot texture folder called Elegant Lines and the scallop punch.  Lots of fun.  I love the SU! rhinestones.  They are the best ones I have used, and really jazz up your card.  Love the way they add sparkle.  We also tried out the new Smooch pearlized accent ink.  This product is new, and adds just a touch of spice and interest.

I hadn't realized until I decided to do this how difficult it is to photograph these cards.  The detail just doesn't come through very well in the photo.  I actually did these with the camera, and not with my phone, and I still took multiple shots, of which these are the best.  The difficulty may be in my technique, of course.  My photography has never been my most expert hobby.

The last card we made also used some of the new SU!  Elegant Soiree DSP and the adorable owl punch.  The owl was cute, but wasn't on my "must have" list until I did a Halloween blog hop on Stampin' Addicts recently and saw all the ways it was used - everything from flower vases to witch's cauldrons.  I really think I NEED this punch.

DSP makes putting a card together so easy. Add a little ribbon and some kind of focal point, and you have a card.  It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like.

I really need to get back into stamping again.  It is always a lot of fun to meet with other ladies and create something fun and attractive.



And when I got home, guess what???  A Stampin' Addicts blog hop using some great new products from the Holiday mini.  Tonight was Stamping Heaven!

Charlotte had a ton of samples on her kitchen counter when we arrived.  At snack time, I took a moment to take some photos of them.  Great ideas for my next stamping adventure.  (These were photographed with my phone off her kitchen counter, but they do show the main elements of the cards.) 

Love the daisy embossing!

Maybe just a little monochromatic, but cute!

I'm sure I have a stamp like this around somewhere.  Love the oval punch!

Love the flowers.  Pink and green is always classy!

More DSP!  An idea I will use, I think!

This one was truly wonderful in person.  The photo doesn't do it justice at all.

Funny how 3 little images can really make a card!.

And these cards were paper pieced.  Too fun!  Check out Bob the Builder and the guitar!  Who thinks of these things???

Diamond in the Rough

You wouldn't think so to look at it, but the funnest fabric store in Pensacola has got to be the fabric store with an identity crisis.

First of all, it is, in fact, a compounding pharmacy.  When you walk in, it looks like an old fashioned dime store, with just about anything you can imagine.  A visit to the back of the store finds all of your pharmacy needs, I'm sure.  Their selection of Little Golden Books takes me back to my own childhood. It was the first place I went to buy little Abby-frog those classics  she MUST have, like The Poky Little Puppy, The Saggy, Baggy Elephant, and The Tawny, Scrawny Lion.

But take a left, and then a right, and fabric junkies, Enter Paradise!!  Who would suspect that the back of the store has bolts and bolts and bolts of fabrics from all our favorite designers?  Moda and Michael Miller are two of my favorites so far, but I can't wait to try some of the rest.   It is the only place in Pensacola I have found Moda charm squares, jelly rolls, and fat quarters.  OK, I'm new to these things, but now that I KNOW about them, I have to have them, right?

When my children were little, there used to be nearly a dozen fabric stores in Pensacola.  I have often joked and said that when I went back to work full-time, I stopped sewing, and they all went out of business.  Too sad, but true?  Maybe?  No, I couldn't have kept them all in business by myself....  Could I?

I used to work in Warrington - oh, 25 years ago now - and I shopped at AandE frequently.  But after we moved away, and moved back, I kind of forgot they had such neat stuff.  Then, in 2009, when Beautiful Daughter #2 was looking for some special trims for her prom dress that the ordinary fabric store didn't have, a lady at the cutting counter suggested we try AandE.  And I had one of those, "You Dummy!" moments.  Of course!  I knew about it all along, and just forgot.  And so we drove across town and they had exactly what she wanted.  And it was on sale, even.  And I was hooked.

But I really didn't appreciate just what a treasure it was until Beautiful Daughter #1 turned me on to how much fun designer fabric can be.  And so I have to wander by once or twice a week on my lunch hour or on the way home from work.  I browse.  I touch.  I imagine.  Too often, I succumb to the subtle charms of these beautiful fabrics.  Like I need more fabric.  But I need to feed my addiction.  Still, it is an innocent enough habit, I suppose.

And the ladies there are so nice.  And (I'm not sure this is a good thing) they remember me.  The other day, a lady and her daughter were buying some of the Michael Miller Lanterns Bloom collection, and when the lady at the counter saw me, she said, "Here's a lady that has already made that quilt," and so I stopped and chatted, and gave them the benefit of my experience (and told them that the pattern is on Michael Miller's website and they don't need to reinvent the wheel, like I did).  Then, when I was in there today after work, the manager of the fabric department told me I should have been there earlier - that they had some quilters come in with "show and tell", and I would have loved it.

And I would have, too.

I plan to spend the weekend finishing projects.  Maybe I'll have some time Monday to do some "show and tell" of my own!

Scraps

I thought I would get more done this weekend.  I have 6 quilts in various stages of completion and a ton of clothing I would like to sit down and sew, but this summer bug has been a drain on my energy.  Friday, I stayed home, but accomplished nothing creative, although I did sleep a lot.  Yesterday, I sewed the S's and Z's for my Avignon Picnic blocks from Moda Bake Shop (you can link to it here).  I ended up with 18 squares, which really isn't enough, so Beautiful Daughter #1 said she would bring me another pack of charm squares when we see each other in Seattle in September.  (Sounds like a song, doesn't it?)  The sample quilt actually has 64 squares, but I think 36 will make a nice small quilt.  Maybe a baby quilt or a cuddling up in front of the TV quilt.  We'll see.

Oh - and I left the house long enough yesterday to go to the ordinary fabric store (aka JoAnn's) because they had the batting I like on sale and thread 50% off.  I have been running out of thread like crazy.  I bought a ton of thread when I was sewing a lot (before I went back to work full-time), but there is not much of that left.   It's the little things that often drive us crazy, like running out of the right color of thread in the middle of a project.  Coats and Clarks at 50% off is a pretty sweet deal, I think.

The only other thing I did this weekend was sort my scraps.  I was looking for replacement pieces for the double-sided duvet cover that is about to become 2 quilts (see my post on un-serging) so I removed the squares with the buttonholes, hence their need to be replaced..  It was a great opportunity to sort my scraps.  Wow!  Did that bring back memories.  It seems, though, that this scrap bag is just the scraps from the last couple of years.  Wonder where the older ones are?  Think of the memories I will have when I find THOSE!

Happy quilting!

Major Surgery

Well, it's done.  At least the squares are dissected and put back together.  The hardest part was making the first incision.  I felt like I was doing major surgery - cutting into vital organs or something!  (And to think I thought I could be a doctor!)

The second hardest part was arranging the completed squares.  Do I want a square quilt or a twin?  Do I want the aqua squares all in a row or spread around?  Do I like the brown at all?  All this angst!!  But amid the coughing (I guess it's a summer bug) and the company (Handsome Son is visiting from Down South) it is done.  I hope to add the borders and backing and get it quilted this weekend, but for now, I have most of a quilt top.

I think I like it!  Maybe.

Miracle of Miracles!

I cleaned the sewing room yesterday.  This may not seem like a major accomplishment, but it is sad to say I was ashamed that it had gotten so messy.  And messy is not a good thing in such a small space. 

My room is always a challenge.  It is 8 ft. by 8 ft.  It has 4 doorways.  Wonderful Husband put in cupboards for me several years ago, but they are full of fabrics (imagine that!), patterns, other craft supplies, and books.  My stash was encroaching on what little floor space there is as well as the top of my only real work surface.  It was simply intolerable.  I didn't take a before picture.  Too embarrassing!

And, we were having company for dinner.  Always a great motivator for me.

Anyway, the fabric is all neatly stashed (laundry baskets are SO useful), the thread is all on its little thread keeper posts, and the notions are tucked neatly in their drawers. And it still looks messy.  Don't try to imagine what it looked like before.  Sadly, it doesn't get any better than this.

I think that's a good thing!

An Anniversary

Today would have been my parents' 66th wedding anniversary.  Amazing!  Here is their wedding photo.  Their story is unique, but perhaps not so much considering it was war-time.  My mom graduated high school in 1943 and wanted to do something to help the war effort.  All alone, she moved from Eastern Washington to Bremerton, and got a job working graveyard shift at the Navy Yard.  Pretty brave for an 18 year-old country girl. (Of course, she had been working since she was 13, sometimes 2 or 3 jobs, so I guess it was totally in character.)

Her boss was Doris Waggoner, a single mom, who lived with her parents.  Doris befriended my mom and took her home for Sunday dinners and family events.  My grandfather was so impressed with my mom he told her he wanted her to marry one of his sons - and he didn't care which one!

My dad and my uncle were both in the Army - as were most of the young men in 1944. My dad was the first one to come home on leave.  Doris asked him if he wanted to go on a double date, and he said yes.  That was Monday.  Tuesday night, he came into my grandmother's room and told her he had met the woman he was going to marry.  Saturday morning, they took the ferry to Seattle to "meet the parents" and missed the ferry home.  They arrived an hour late to find all their guests waiting at the church.

They met on Monday and married on Saturday.

Once I asked my dad about it, considering that if I had tried such a stunt, I would have been disowned.  My dad said, "Honey, there was a war on.  I didn't have time to go a-courting."

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!