Checking in ....

Hi,
It's after midnight and I can't sleep. I am sitting here at the computer. I have the old old show "Password" on from the 1960's on The Game Show channel. I am also researching new books to get from the library. In the late eighties or early nineties I remember reading a monthly magazine article "From Thornhill Farm" by Dee Hardie. I loved reading about her country life. I swore it was in Country Living but i might be doubting that memory. I loved her style of writing. Recently I rediscovered her writings in the book "Hollyhocks, Lambs and other Passions." I love it and have been cherishing the stories in the book. Tonight i searched for more of her writings and i found another book for 2.00 on Alibris. So i ordered it and Hollyhocks. I am so excited. In reading her book I have also discovered another writer Angela Mackail Thirkell, Dee Hardie collected her books. I am going to give her a try. I found one of her autobiography's in the library and ordered her first book in one of her series. She wrote in the 30's to 50's about the English country side. I hope I enjoy them. The book I bought was only 2.00 so i am ok with buying it. They have other's at the library but I wanted to start with the first one. See how it started.
The show is almost over so i am going to bed.
Night Night
PS - no sewing this week. too buzy with other stuff and taking long naps. will start up next week on both quilts and pin cushions...

Two good workshops

Well on Monday and today I went to workshops at the Employment office. I was surprised I learned as much as i did. Today was the interview workshop. It helped answer questions i have always had. I know the basics of course but they gave me some good tips. I am glad I stumbled on to this program. Still sewing away but also relaxing and reading. Watching the Top Chef Masters and then off to bed.

Night Night.
Dottie.

My Aug UFO

I have picked out my Aug UFO. It was a 5 dollar quilt i participated with in 2008 from Quilting Delights. I ran out of time each month because I was in School and by the end I just gave up. It's another huge quilt. Over 100 inches each way.

Most people had the main color in black or off white. I choose this warm pumkin orange. I have already named this quilt - Pumkin Amish. I just think it fits. The first photo is what i have done. The second photo gives you an idea what it will look like when it is done. I started working on this yesterday and got "month 4 " done which consists of 4 12 inch blocks. My plan is just to work on a month at a time. My goal is to hopefully get it done by the 15th. A big goal but i am determined not to waste this time off. Plus it keeps me out of trouble.

Off to a Birthday party for a 7 year old.

Dottie.

Note to self..

Hi self
I smiled on 8-17-08. He wrote back on 8-20-08.
One year in a couple of weeks. ;-)

My daily workspace.

What i have been doing for the last month.

Pin cushions

Hi,

I was looking on Flicker for some ideas for pincushions. I found these cute ones using felt and thread. I read through the tutorial and came up with these two. They are not perfect but they do the job. SHHHH.. i think i will make them for christmas presents.

Dottie.

My 2nd finished quilt for July..

Here is my completed quilt. I don't have anyone to hold it up for me so I

put it on the couch again. It's only the top but i have also prepared the back and the

so as soon as I can afford to buy the batting I will layer the quilt.

I have heard that the designer has released this to other quilt shops for 5 dollar quilts.

I think i have my next quilt picked out for Aug.

Check out others who have finshed there goals in the Charming Girls Club

http://cottoncharmquilts.typepad.com/charmingchatter/2009/07/the-july-finishes-post.html

A productive 3 days..

Hello!
In the last few days I have been a busy girl. I have completed 3 projects. ( 3 ufo's)

First - I completed my "Home is where the heart is quilt" to the flimsy stage. I consider it done. I didn't add the very final border as it was getting too big. I don't need another 100 by 100 inch quilt. So I repurposed the border fabric into the backing fabric. I cut it in half and used it but it wasn't quite wide enough, so I cut off about 6 inches and used it as a connection between the two sides with other left over fabric. I haven't taken a photo yet but i will soon. Oh - another thing that happened was that since i wasn't using the large blue fabric i increased my last border to 4 1/2 inches wide. I only had 1 yard of fabric and just had enough. When i put it on the quilt i was short a few inches on the sides so i did an estimated cut to extend it off the top and bottom pieces. I judged correctly. Also when i put the border on the top and bottom... again i just had enough. I know i should have been more precise and done more measuring but i was just wanting to get it done. As I always say.. the quilting gods were watching out for me. So my second UFO is done for July for the Charming girls club.. Yahoo. I am still debating which quilt to do for August. So keep reading... as I will post the answer soon.

2ND. A couple of years ago a went to the close out fabric store in the "hood". I found some black and white toile that i fell in love with. I think that it's a duck broadcloth. I thought it would be the perfect picnic cloth. I bought two yards i think and it was a bigger size over 44 inches. I folded it together with the right sides together and sewed a 5/8 seam on the two sides. I then turned it inside out and sewed a quarter inch seam along the bottom and the two sides. I then folded in the top ends and sewed a quarter inch line and then another line a quarter inch from that. I did sew three cross seams horizontally. It's simple and a good practice piece to get some sewing miles on. I love it.

3rd. This is another UFO that has been sitting in my closet for two years. I got the idea when i went to the beach with friends. My friends mom had made a wind breaker using purple denim and a couple of old broom handles. I went to Fabric Depot here in Portland and found some striped denim on the clearance rack. The stripes were wonderful to use as i used them as guides from the amount i turned over on the ends and to sew the holes for the dowels. I included a photo of one offered by Kath Kidston but mine is closer to the ground and not quite so tall and is longer in length but you get the idea. What i also did was did a label so i would remember when i did it. I took some decorator fabric and cut it out in a flower shape and then embroidered the name "The Wind Breaker" (how original I know.. lol) my name and the date as the Summer of 09. I then sewed it on with a zig zag stitch all around the sides on the wrong side of the fabric and then a bit of free hand lines to tack it in the middle. It even looks good on the outside as it is in the shape of a flower. I can't wait to try it out at the beach. I think i will use the dowels i used for the family tree last year. I will need to take them over to my brothers so i can cut them off of the cement blocks.

So I had a wonderful 3 days and feel like i got something accomplished. Well it's off for a few days at the coast. Enjoy your weekend!
Dottie

Monday....

Well i got allot done yesterday but then released how i thought i should do my log cabins was wrong. Right in theory but did not work out when i put them around the quilt. I then looked at the photo and then hit my head and went... That's how is is suppose to go. So i had to separate 32 blocks..... On Monday i got them separated and I sewed them the right way. Looks good.. Tomorrow I will sew them on to the quilt. Almost done.

Dottie

Sunday sewing..

Hi,

Just don't you love quiet Sundays you can sew? Well today is one of those days. Over the past week I have done some major cleaning in anticipation of an inspection. Wouldn't you know it, they didn't come. Also have been doing reading and applying for jobs. We won't even get into the headaches that have occurred with my unemployment and my Cobra. But the problems are getting resolved.

Today will be sewing. I will be working on putting on the borders, borders , borders for this quilt.

See this entry for a little background.

Off to sew...

Dottie.

I have been tagged..

Hi,

I have been tagged bythe Charming Girls quilt Club .... so here it goes.

5 Things
1. My Favorite Fabric:

Right now I have a fascination with Kaffee Fasset fabric. I keep buying fat quarters and someday I will find a fantastic pattern to show them all off.
2. The pattern I'm most looking forward to sewing is:

I don’t have one at the moment but the ones I want to explore are Miss. Rosie’s Quilt Co. I just love them on the Sister Choice Quilts blog.
3. The food that is my weakness:

Pizza. I heart it.
4. If I knew I couldn't fail, I'd:

I would not got back to work but go to a fantastic school back east and get my doctorate. In what I don’t know but I would love to and then get a job at a college teaching
5. The Best "Life" Advice I know is :

Things will work out. God will provide. It might not always be in the way you are wanting or asking but it will be the best for you.

Well those are my answers today but ask me tommorow and you might get a few different answers...

Dottie.