Friday, September 30, 2011

We have some borders!

Well, I had a bit of insomnia last night so I finally got up and worked on my quilt.  Yeah...this quilt finally has some borders.


I also finished my Christmas Stitchalong project.  The new one is here.  You can still download the first week until next Friday. 


I found the fabric I used when I was on a shop hop this summer and I just picked it up not knowing what I was going to use it for.  I'm so glad I did! 

I'm linking today with Friday Finishes.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stitching! --Kristen

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Ugh...too much going on

I wanted to do a quick posting to let you know about a few things I have found, and my Daisy quilt is ready for borders...


I buttonhole stitched around each daisy petal.  For some reason I found it relaxing to work on that.  I went to put the borders on Saturday morning and decided the fabric I had just wasn't right...and the quilt shop was closed.  Yesterday I picked up my borders and backing so hopefully soon this will be a finished quilt.  Yeah!

I also found a fun giveaway...Jackie just opened her etsy shop and is giving away the cutest fabric.  She was one of my first followers and she didn't even know me!  She makes wonderful quilts...go check her site out and enter to win the fabric! :)

Also, I found a Christmas Stitchalong...go to Sewhappy me each Friday for a new Christmas embroidery pattern...they are only available for a week so you need to get started.  I did start stitching mine last night, they go very quickly, and in seven weeks we will have a finished Christmas bunting.  Pictures of my finished stitchery soon...

Today I am linking with Fabric Tuesday and Judy.  There are always fun things to see at these sites.

Thank you for stopping by.  Things have been a bit crazy around here the last week, but fall is here and I'm ready to be stitching around the clock!  Happy Stitching!  --Kristen

Monday, September 19, 2011

Daisy, Daisy...

I love to sing...and like I was singing "Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me" when I was sewing my Shoo Fly blocks together, today I've been singing "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do..."  My mom used to sing that song with us when we were kids.  Today I was cutting daisy petals for my quilt...a whole 74 of them.


Now I'm sure I will be singing Daisy, Daisy again while I stitch around each of them.  Once that is done, it is on with the borders and I'll start quilting it! :)

I'm linking today with Judy for Design Wall Monday.  I've already been peaking at some of the links and there are some amazing things going on.  :)  Happy Stitching!  --Kristen

Saturday, September 17, 2011

FNSI Fun

I had a feeling this quilt would go together quickly and it actually has.  Sometimes I just need something where I can see progress quickly.  I'm not finished, but I did get it all cut out and a lot of it sewn together.  I'm hoping tonight to at least have all the blocks pieced together. 


As I'm looking at it I start wondering if I should make it a bit larger...possibly add another row of blocks.  It has two borders on it and it should be big enough, but as always, I start thinking bigger is better.  We'll see how I feel once I get the blocks finished.  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Stitching!  --Kristen

Friday, September 16, 2011

Wow what a day!

Yesterday was such an exciting day I just had to share it with you.  I was very busy opening packages..it was so much fun.  First the mailman brought this...


How fun is this one?  I had won three Schnibbles patterns from Thelma and they arrived wrapped like this...it was almost too pretty to open.  Take a minute and check out Thelma's blog, you won't believe the things she does with fabric, AND she is the nicest person.  Thank you Thelma...I can't wait to get started on these...


Three new Schnibbles and oh the possibilities! :)  Then the UPS man brought two packages and the first had this in it...



You cannot imagine how excited I was to get this...until I saw the book with it. :)  I started reading it last night and now I'm really excited.  Just wait until you see what I can do with this program.


The second package contained this from Moda...long story short, the people at Moda are very, very nice.

Last evening I spent 1 hour and 22 minutes on the phone with the person from McAfee antivirus upgrading my software...that was fun.  Everything is done, and we should be good for another year.  :)

Don't forget the FNSI tonight.  I'm so excited to be virtually stitching with all of you.  I had an idea...I know I have people reading that do not have a blog, but will be working on something tonight.  Email me and let me know you will be stitching with me and what you will be working on.  If you don't have a blog and you'd like to show all of us what you are working on, send me a picture by email and I'll post pictures of them tomorrow.

I'll be snuggled in a quilt tonight, watching old movies, and stitching away.  Happy Stitching! 
--Kristen

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Fall...

Fall is definitely here.  It is so cold out this morning it is shocking when you step out the door for the first time. I love fall, but the weather has been so odd this year I guess I'm not quite ready for it yet.  And where have I been?  Well, school has started, soccer has started, and I guess I wasn't quite ready yet for all the homework and running that goes with all of it.  We spent quite a happy summer at home this year and it takes a bit to get back into the routine of it all.

Here are my WiP for this Wednesday...


Here my Farmer's Wife blocks and fabrics sit.  I'm waiting for the sale on the rest of the templates from Marti Michell.  Once I receive those, I will be off and running again.  I have 8 of 111 blocks completed.


Ah yes, the Honeycomb quilt.  I haven't given up on this one yet.  I have all my 1/2 hexagons with an adjoining triangle on them, and I just need to sit and fight sew them into strips.  I think it all has to do with how you press them.  I'm hoping they go together much easier once I figure out the best way to press.


I have been working on my Vignette Mystery quilt.  I have most of the hanky linen cut, I just needed to find the right fabrics for the other embroidery blocks.  I think I have found them and hopefully will be stitching soon on them as the 4th issue of Vignette magazine should be here any day!


Still been working on the Vignette hexie quilt too.  I have 66 of 140 flowers done.  Over the weekend I cut more hexies out and am planning to baste Friday during my son's soccer game. :)


Yep, another pile of fabric.  This one should go together quickly (I hope).  It is an easy piece and should go together with lightening speed...HA!  I decided I needed a project that I could start and finish in a short period of time...as it seems I like quilts with hundreds of blocks (see above). 

This Friday is the September FNSI...join us...I have plenty to work on, it is cool cold outside, and its the perfect time to work on something warm and cozy.  I'm also linking with WiP Wednesday.  Happy Stitching!  --Kristen

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Frustration

Have you ever...ever, been so frustrated with a project that it just stops you in your tracks?  I'm there with this one...


This Honeycomb Schnibble is not going to get the best of me, although it nearly has.  Sew, rip, sew, rip, sew again, rip again.  I refuse to let it get me.  It might take me a year to finish this one, but I'm going to finish it.  It was wadded up in a ball at one point, and I have only done that with one other quilt in my life.  That was the king-sized lone star quilt that was my second quilt, it almost got the best of me too, although it didn't.


To keep my sanity I finished another hexagon flower for my Vignette hexagon quilt.  It is number 66.  It brought some happiness to this frustrated quilter.  Hope your sewing has been going better than mine.  Any suggestions?  I'm linking with Judy and Fabric Tuesday.  Happy Stitching!  --Kristen

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Color, color, color...

This week started out with me working on the Honeycomb Schnibble by Carrie Nelson.  The pattern was (is) a bit frustrating for me and this is where I ended up...


Yeah, isn't that exciting? :)  I think I wasn't much in the mood for a pattern that uses the 60 degree marking for cutting on pretty much everything.  I'd figure it out for one piece, have to cut the opposite direction, and it would take me another 15 minutes to figure out which way to hold the ruler again.  After getting this far, I had finally had enough and gave up.  I've thought many times over the weekend that I should try again, but I think it needs a rest (or at least I do).

I love to organize things, and for many years I've wanted to get my DMC thread all organized.  I've also wanted to have one of every color wound on a bobbin and in the box so when I need it I can grab it.


These are the bobbins I wound yesterday.  I watched old movies and wound bobbins and it was just what I needed.  The bobbin count for yesterday...179. 


Here they are all organized by number and in their boxes.  The complete collection fits in the first four boxes.  The last box is full of doubles I have.  JoAnn's has DMC on sale this weekend plus a 10% off coupon so I could pick up the colors I didn't have more economically.  I'm headed now to the sewing room to see what embroidery or cross stitch project I should work on this evening and tomorrow as tomorrow is a holiday!!!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend . Happy Stitching!  --Kristen