Playing with the Big Girls

Just a few weekends ago I went on my second retreat. Yes, that would be my second QUILTING retreat. I went to the Boston Modern Quilt Guild Retreat in Kennebunkport, ME with my niece and the new pumpkin in our patch, Jessy. 

I had such a great time just hanging out without a care in the world,  just stitching the day away while the machines hummed my nerves into a craftiness coma that I only managed to wake from on Sunday, when it was time to come home.

I managed to complete (well, almost complete), ONE project. This one.

Now I know you feel joy for me and my accomplishment. I mean, you're all so supportive and you know how hard I work at my craftiness perfection (or lack thereof) so I'd like to share with you, what I like to call my I spy pictures. 

I spy my quilt on the FAMILY wall (these are my niece's blocks, made at the retreat for a quilt she is working on. She worked on other projects too, but these are her "completed" blocks. And there under my "project" are Jessy's blocks, which she cut and stitched at the retreat. She cut TONS of these, but these are the ones that were "completed" and made into strips. This will be her first BIG project, and she was on a roll. She also made a knitting needle case for her mom while I worked on my one project... did you find it in the picture? 

Oh, I did finish the stitching around my Wool & Needle January mat too. 

I was so productive!

Oh, but there were other projects that were pretty impressive and as all girls do, I had to compare mine to theirs and see how I measured up in the productivity department. Soooo, I went on a little mission after hours... seeing how my guy "measured up" to the "Big Girls" quilts. Here's what I found.

Here I spy my project next to a hexagon masterpiece that had me wishing I had a love for piecing...

check out those block! Holy smokes! Yeah, she fussy cut the center blocks too. Sigh. 

Mine was "almost" as nice as hers...

 But not feeling as accomplished as I hoped I continued my quest for my equal, and although I thought this wouldn't be a fair comparison, I did try to measure up to this one....

but the scale was all wrong. Can you even see my project in this picture? 

Yeah, the little spot on the big quilt, that would be mine, LOL...

Quilt after quilt I saw that each one was unique and ever so beautiful but none was quite like mine. Which made me think of how lucky I was to be welcomed into such a talented group... 

 and to have my little guy playing with the Big Girls!
Can't wait to do it again next year. =)

My Favorite Snowmen Are Made Of Wool

As you may or may not know, I am not snow's biggest fan. I appreciate the need for snow and understand that my garden has a crush on it but I personally, well... not  a fan. 

I prefer warm days and crisp nights as opposed to cold days and freezing nights.  I hear snow is coming and I feel a chill up my spine. I get so stressed, "What if the power goes out? Do I have enough wood? Do I have enough groceries? Are my flashlights where I can find them?"  UGH, There's so much drama in my head, you'd think it was a Tsunami alert. Yeah, I'm bad, LOL

Having confirmed that the pantry is full, that I have a stash of batteries that rivals Home Depot's inventory stock, I can now move on to how I spent the last few nights. I spent them making this cute little snowman pocket.

It's made of wool, lined in flannel, embellished with hand dyed buttons and even has a little painter's blush to complement his embroidery smile. A fast, fun and easy weekend project... or snowstorm nerve calmer.
Hope you're staying warm and crafting up a storm while you wait for Spring. Be well! B=)

Just Call Me Sharpie Girl

It's been so long since I actually completed a project it is almost anticlimactic. I started my October Scare months ago, and I am so not kidding. I bartered with my niece who is a piecer and after I cut out the kits I gave her two backgrounds to piece. She then returned the two completed backgrounds for me to appliqué. which was no big deal. It was fast, it was fun, it was easy peasy. Now why is it that I hadn't finished this baby? It was the embroidery. What is it with me and embroidery? I just can't embroider. I am an embroidery failure. I just don't get it.

My embroidery is so bad it's like a toddler scribbling with crayons. Really, my straight lines have sharp edges. How the heck does that happen? I have no idea.
So this weekend I decided I would "bite the bullet" and take my time finishing this little cutie. I just had to clear it out and put an end to this "pending" project. I couldn't move on. I had to put this one behind me so I whipped out my black sharpie (Oh yes, I did, LOL!) drew in my lines, and then stitched on the lines. Oh and if you are thinking it's not so bad...I'll have you know that AFTER I stitched my little spider legs I went over them with my extra fine sharpie and "Fixed" them. Oh, it's "Just" a wall hanging. It's not like it's some fancy schmancy quilt... a crafter has to do what she has to do, and until my embroidery skills improve (I don't really foresee this happening anytime soon), I shall be a "cheating" with my sharpie so you can just call me Sharpie Girl. =)

If you would like to make an October Scare quilt of your own, you can order the kit here.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Are you lovin' my sweet Nellie? I think she's the bomb. If you're not a primitive lover, you probably won't understand the love of primitive portraits. The little kids with the small bodies, thick necks and big heads are not for everyone but I tell you, I have a soft spot for these cuties For the longest time I have wanted to add one to my home but as you probably know by now, my house is tiny (and yes, I do mean that literally). When you have such a little house you have to be very picky with what you put in it, lest you end up on one of next season's episodes of Hoarders. I had looked and looked and had not found one that I loved so it was put on my home's "wish list". Then, in late Winter Cynthia Ereksen posted a Saturday workshop for a "Primitive Portrait" and sight unseen, I signed up.
I've never been disappointed in any of the pieces I have painted with Cynthia and this one was no exception. As soon as I saw her I knew it was just meant to be. Notice she is learning to stitch... coincidence? Nah. Destiny! She was meant for me to paint and was well worth the wait.Isn't she the cutest thing ever? Look at that sweet little face, and her fancy little dress. Oh, I just love her. Now I just have to find her a spot in my tiny little love shack; I know there's bound to be a spot for her... I just have to find it, LOL!

Hope you're month is on a roll too. Is it really the ninth already? Wow! Time does fly when you're having fun...

Floorcloth, Done!

This Winter has been so hard. It really has. I feel like my poor heart has taken a beating, along with my little house. We are both recovering from a long hard season and I am sooo happy that it is behind us. Spring is playing tricks on us but this weekend it actually made an appearance and for that I am grateful.

I drove to the seacoast this weekend to paint a wonderful floorcloth at a seminar with Cynthia Erekson. It was a day of shared love and appreciation for painting. It was a little challenging to try a new surface (canvas) , and even more challenging to paint with folks that have so many more years of painting experience than I have, but all in all, I held my own and walked away with a beautiful piece for my home.

I will be framing it behind a window that still needs to be painted but having finished the main part, I feel that the rest is a breeze (famous last words!)

I hope your weekend was filled with fun and that you too are dreaming of warmer days when your spirits will soar by just standing outside in the sun without a jacket. I can't wait! Have fun this week!

Holiday Santa, Done!

The sun did not shine but the rain stopped long enough for me to rush outside and snap a few pictures of my wonderful Holiday Santa.
This is a Cynthia Erekson Design. The pattern has not yet been released but she taught it at weekend workshop I was fortunate enough to have attended.
The face looks bright because of the glare but it is not that bright. The other colors are true. He measures 31" high by 11" wide at the widest poing. Isn't he the cutest guy ever?

Update: The pattern for this Santa has been released it is called Snowflake Santa.

Summer Mini Quilt, Done!

I finished a little Summer quilt this week. It was a week of starts and stops, and many challenges (Life just seems to get in the way of my craftiness, what can I say?) but I did it, I have a finish for July...woo-HOO!

This is a super fast, easy peasy quilt. The applique is all flannel (my personal favorite) and the star is wool. The button is hand dyed so it's a "mystery shade" of wheat. I wish we had show and tell and you could all see it up close. It's sooo darn cute, really. The pic is well, as good as the camera could give us given the photographer, if you know what I mean...

Hope your week has a great finish too. It's the weekend so if you haven't started something, get to it! Chop-chop! =)

Kits are available for Summer, you can find them HERE!

Country Pumpkins Needlecase, Done!

I had a very productive weekend, I made a needle case.
I just received this wonderful applique pattern and as son as I saw it thought it would be just perfect for a weekend project. Then I thought, well what the heck would I make with it and after talking with Kaaren and seeing a gorgeous needle case she designed, I thought I could make a "beginner" needle case. One without any complications. And so it went, I made a needle case. And if you think mine looks anything like hers, well I'd say, "You better lay off the vino." =)
Yeah, my needle case wants to grow up to be like hers but it's gonna take some time, hahaha.
Anyway, I KNOW the applique is gorgeous because Pam Minch has pumpkins down to a science, and I've never seen one of her pumpkin patterns that I didn't like, and this one is no exception. Isn't it awesome? Love, love,Love it!
Oh but for my show and tell I did encounter some technical difficulties, so if you're feeling dizzy you best skip the next picture.
*********************
Would you be so kind as to pretend this image is not flipped on its side, and just try to see the "beauty" of my needle case? LOL! This is the inside of the case the pocket is actually on the left, not at the top of the case. I wanted to make it large enough to hold an extra rotary cutter blade in the little plastic case. It fits perfectly and there's a snap to make sure once it's in there, it's not going to fall out. Unless you flip it as picture here. See? Blogger wanted me to show you how NOT to hold the needle case!

In the middle I used a piece of hand dyed wool to match the cute Buggy barn fabrics I used . Oh, all the applique is flannel. I just love working with flannel. ahhh...it's so soft and yummy...
Now looking at the back of the case we have two cool little pockets where you can stuff extra needles, an embroidery scissor or even extra skeins of thread. I "test drove" all these options, mind you... or you can just leave them empty... whatever works...

That's it for my weekend crafting. Did you get anything done? Hope you did, and if not, I hope you had fun just goofing off! I'm all for goofing off... =)

One More Wool Crazy Pincushion!

Well it was a busy weekend here at the Pumpkin Patch but I did manage to squeeze in some fun and look what I completed. It's Pat Sloan's Wool Crazy Round Robin Pincushion. Isn't it adorable? I added the ladybugs and the bonnet along with the handmade polymer clay button by Just Another Button Company. I love it! Ok, so JoAnn Mullaly added the heart with the gorgeous butterfly, and Roseann Kermes added the beautiful flowers with the fancy "wool" hand tag (that thing makes me smile every time I see it. It's sooo tiny. I keep forgetting to ask her where she purchased it because I sure want some to add to my wool cafties.).

Now this baby is heading HOME! Yes, it's off to pat Sloan's place for a major makeover. It will go from mat to pincushion and remember, she has yet to add her own applique to the pincushion so here is much to see in the final reveal. I can't wait!

To see more pics of the pincushions check out my Wool Crazy Album on Facebook. You can "like" me anytime! Hee-Hee!

I have one more project for this week but seeing how it's Tuesday already, I'm not feeling too confident that I'm going to be able to put it in the "done" category... HMMM. We'll see...

Thanks for stopping by. Hope your having fun too.

Come back and see me soon! B=)

Horn of Plenty, Done!

I did it, I finished my penny rug!

I spent the morning finishing those darn tongues...man, talk about labor intensive! Then I had to make sure that when I stitched the backing on to the penny rug I didn't catch any of the tongues. If I had to rip out the stitches I would damage my hours upon hours of work, and that would bite. So how do I make sure the tongues don't shift? I pin them!!! You might think this is Pin Overkill but after all those hours of stitching I was NOT taking any chances... After flipping it over I then proceeded to blanket stitch around the center and after a quick steaming.... I present, Horn of Plenty, TADA!!!!
I could have spent another thirty minutes pulling and tugging until it laid absolutely perfect but life is too short to get hung up on those things so I just gave it the "once over" and I am all done! Woo-Hoo!
Hope your day was filled with great stitches and a wonderful finish before bedtime... now onto the next project! Hooray!

Settler's Pride BOM Block 1, Done!

You thought I was goofing off, didn't ya? Well, I'll have you know that it's almost time to send out the next block of Settler's Pride so I was a woman on a mission. I needed to catch up, or almost catch up, with the Settler's Pride BOM ladies. I am now officially only one month behind schedule.

Take a look at what I did yesterday... I completed Block#1, TADA!!!! One down, only eight to go! Woo-HOO!

Wool Crazy Pincushion, done!

After careful deliberation I decided that my contribution to Roseanne's pincushion would be Summer themed...which blended nicely with her Bee Skep. So, this is what I added: I used one of her crazy blocks and made a watermelon and then I added a flag (4th of July?) and some extra bees to fill in the spaces. I decided to stop because I have to leave space for everyone else to add their part. I did add a hand dyed button by Hillcreek designs. If she hates it it can be removed and awoolen star can be added...I like it so I will send it, as is.

Whew! One down, three to go! Wo-HOO!

A Sprinkling of Flowers, Done!

Finally! I finally have a finished project to show. It's about time, isn't it? Well, there's been much happening on this end.... and none of it has been crafting. The nerve!

I set my mind to finishing this cutie this morning. I just had to put the buttons on and stitch on the wool flower, and TADA! Here you go! A Sprinkling of Flowers, done!
Woo-Hoo! I feel like I could use some confetti, ticker tape and a marching band. hahaha. Yeah, it did feel like I would never finish it because it's been staring at me waiting for those buttons and that one little flower for over a week; and now it's DONE! Hooray for me!!!! I can't help it, it's the little things that make me happy!

This pattern is by Country Lore Designs, and I just love it. I made up three little kits in the same fabrics. The applique is flannel and wool , the buttons are all hand dyed by Hillcreek designs and although a rusty watering can is included with the pattern, I thought my version would forgo that embellishment... Sometimes more is just more, you know what I mean? So there you have it, My first finish for March! Woo-Hoo...stay tuned, maybe I'm on a roll! LOL! OK, maybe not. But in any case, if you want to spend the weekend crafting and have something wonderful to show for it on Monday, just buy yourself a kit and whip this baby up next weekend. You'll love it!
Update: This kit is Sold Out!

Patriotic Santa Dummy Board, Done!

I did it! I finished my Santa Dummy Board! It was finally warm enough outside (OK, so it was only 30 but it was "warmer" than it's been all week, LOL!) and I ventured outside to varnish him and take a pic.
Isn't he the bomb? The pic has a little glare but otherwise the colors are pretty true. Hope you can get a close up of that beard. I was thinking Willie Nelson, so I went all out, hahaha. OMG! Hope I don't get coal in my stocking for that!
Anyway, Now he's ready to hang. I wish I had a covered porch, he looks so good outside. ... but he'd get wet and warped. Oh, well... Inside he goes.
But he's so cute; I'm sure to find a spot for him soon. B=)

Snowman, Done!

Yes! My punched snowman is DONE! I really do love the way it turned out. I have to say, the hardest part was the binding. That little thumb was no joke. I can safely say, that I am considering adding a backing to cover my less than perfect stitching. Not lovin' the workmanship there, hahaha.
OK, we all know we are our worst critics, so I'm going to just set it aside and move on.
This is one of three mittens from the pattern Trio Of Woolen Mittens, you can find the pattern HERE.
I highly recommend using the wool applique method. After the three classes, the pattern, the 7 skeins of wool and the two skeins of hand dyed pearle cotton we're talking almost $150 for one mitten with a crappy binding. But on the bright side...that's still less than an hour at the shrink's! LOL! Hope you had a fun weekend; learned a new craft, finished a project or spent time with those you love. After all, isn't that what weekends are for? See you soon! B=)

I Know It's Not Christmas!

But I needed to do something that was NOT embroidery! LOL! OK, call me a coward. I just could not face another upset at the hands of the needle. I just could not do it! I had this quilt all made waiting for the applique (I told you , I'm weird, I make the quilt and THEN add the applique...I have a system,trust me, it all works out in the end), so instead of feeling like an embroidery loser, I did what I do best...I ironed on the applique and took to my handy dandy machine to finish this one off last night, woo-HOO! The good news is that Christmas comes around every single year, so this little cutie is just a bit early for the 2010 holiday celebrations. BTW...she makes Holiday Tree#4 for me. Can you tell that I just love this pattern? =)
You can make a Holiday Tree of your own, I have listed some kits using the same exact fabrics I used for my sample. I just love it. Now I have to go find the tissue paper to wrap it up....so I can put it with the darn Xmas cards I never mailed out. LOL~ Well, at least I'm almost ready for Christmas 2010...hee-hee

Rotary Cutter Holder, Done

Winter seems to be Retreat Season in the Quilting World. I think it's because if you're going to be Stuck inside (lest you venture out to freeze your butt off!) sewing anyway, why not do it among friends??? Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!
Oh, how I wish I was "retreating" myself...but that would certainly require packing, and that alone would give me an anxiety attack! I'm still recovering from my two week "stint" in snowy TX!
But as I read a post on another Blog (which shall remain nameless since it was before my second cup of Java and I have no idea which one it was among the 158 (yeah, that's the # of blogs on my Bloglines, I'm a lurker, what can I say???) that I track like a broker tracks the stock market... do you keep a tab open all day and just check in on your bloglines during your breaks? Is that normal? Should I seek treatment for this addiction??? I'm just wondering out loud, ignore me, LOL!
Back to the topic...I was reading of how she was packing her bags upon bags of projects to take to her weekend of Bliss and I remembered that I made this Rotary Cutter Holder a while back and it travels to retreats with Nancy who said her RC was just the right size for it. This lead me to think that there must be some more RC's that could use a little carrier of their own as they hit the Retreat Circuit. How fancy, eh? I love it! I made some kits for it, you can find them HERE!
Are you a "retreater"? Have you heard of a jammies only retreat? I like to quilt in my jammies, I'm so bad! LOL!
Update: These kits have sold out!

Tattered Snowman Heart, Done!

It's only Tuesday but my week was off to a fast start. The first two days back to work, back to Homeschool, back home and back to this ridiculous cold...well, it's taking some adjusting. If I sit still I'm afraid I will not get up again. I will go into hibernation mode. I'm really trying to stay the course, get the job done, make it to Spring... somehow!
In my quest to stay motivated and creative, I found a happy medium between a Winter project and a Sweetheart project. I made this wonderful Tattered Heart Snowman pillow. I used only hand dyed woolens, along with hand dyed threads and even hand dyed buttons. AND... I did all the applique by hand. I used weighed pollypellets and polyfil to give it a little weight and keep the "puffiness" down. It's so cute, and it's a really nice size too. It's 8" x 11" I'm still deciding whether or not to add a hanging cord...HMMM. Mulling it over, if you know what I mean.
Hope you're staying warm and keeping busy...there's still time to start something fun , you can do it! B=)
Update: This pattern has sold out! Sorry.

Olie, Done!

Talk about cutting it close, eh? With only two days to go before our Holiday Hiatus, the fourth Quilted Quickie has been completed and the kits have been posted. Woo-HOO! Are you lovin' Olie? I think he is sooo cute! I even gave him rosy cheeks...well, doesn't everyone get rosy cheeks in the cold? The background is flat cotton but Olie is wool and flannel. All the buttons are handmade of polymer clay by Just Another Button Company (except the eyes which are hand dyed by Hillcreek Designs), and the fringe of his scarf is made of hand dyed embroidery thread by The Gentle Art. He is a little work of art, if I should say so myself!
You can order a kit to make your own HERE! I will ship weekend orders on Monday, then we're officially closed for the Season, HOORAY!

Holiday Tree, Done!

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love made for me...A Holiday Tree Quilt Kit?
Nah! I can make my own, I'm holding out for some jewelry!LOL!
But while I wait for hubs to get a clue, I've finished my third Quilted Quickie. Three down, only three to go! Woo-hoo!
Kits are now up and ready to ship, you can order yours HERE!
I am sooo lovin this cutie. The pic just does not do it justice...it's gorgeous... if I should say so myself, LOL!
Hope your week has been productive too....B=)
Update:
This kit has Sold Out! Sorry!