Four Seasons Pillow (11/13/06)

My look back for today was a pillow that I made with the Four Seasons line from Moda.  I used the embroidery module to quilt some designs in each of the nine squares of the pillow top.  With the leftover squares I made prairie points to go around the four sides.

Flowers For Kashmir (8/9/08)

My look back today is to a top that I finished on 8/9/08 called Flowers For Kashmir.  It was a Moda University kit.

Flannel Flower Vase (8/2008)

Well, today I'm looking back to a project from August of '08.  It's a good time to remember because it was before the chaos hit our house.  Little did we know that a couple of weeks after this we would be rushing our oldest dachsie to MedVet for her third back surgery and two weeks after that my husband would fall down the stairs and break his ankle in two places.  It was pure craziness.  So I'll take a deep breath and think back to the calm times when I was making this piece.  I had acquired the fabric grouping from Keepsake Quilting a couple of years prior, and had never really known what I wanted to do with the bundle.  I can't remember what the name of the fabric line was, but it is flannel and has a lot of visual texture.  It's just one of those fabrics that makes you want to reach out and touch it!  I used the fat quarters in the bundle to make a Yellow Brick Road quilt (pattern by Terry Atkinson) - but I made the pieces smaller.  Then instead of using the blocks to make a Yellow Brick Road quilt, I used them to create a square around the outside of the flower vase panel.   On the outside I added an extra wide border, using some other black flannel that I had.  This *may* end up getting cut down - it just depends on how I decide to quilt it.  At this point I'm leaning towards doing trapunto work on the flower vase panel - so that would mean it's going to be a wall hanging.  In that case I'll trim those fat borders down a few inches!

Zippity Doo Dah (10/14/09)

Here's a fun panel from Moda's Zippity Doo Dah line that I did last October.  I will probably quilt it in silk like some of the other panels that I've done.

February Table Topper (12/28/06)

My look back project for today is a Valentine's Day themed wall hanging that I did back in December of '06.  The project was from a kit, put together by the quilt shop where I bought it.  When it came to the quilting, I used some wool thread to do machine blanket stitch around all of the "logs" in the log cabin, and around the wool heart appliques. 

Here's a close up of the stitching ...

No-Match Stars (11/25/08) in Bits of Blue & Gray ...

I finished this quilt top back in November of 08.  The pattern was a freebie that I found on the internet called Fast No-Match Stars.  I used a fabric line called Bits of Blue & Gray, which I had purchased many years ago at a quilt shop in Mansfield, Ohio.  I kept holding on to that fabric waiting for just the right project to come along.  I'm still not sure how I'm going to quilt this one!

Weekly Savings Report ...

Here's today's savings report ...

Meijer ... 36% savings

CVS ... 54% savings
Walgreens ... 53% savings

Fall Is Here (10/7/08)

Ahhh .... just thinking about Fall puts a smile on my face.  I'm not a summer person - and it was close to 90 degrees today - yuck!  Anyway, my look back project of the day for today is a small lap quilt called Fall Is Here.

Eye Poppers (1/30/09)

Today's look back project is a quilt top called Eye Poppers.  The name actually comes from the name of a bundle of nickel squares from Keepsake Quilting's monthly nickel program.  One month the selection of nickels was called "eye poppers", which were comprised of bright colors and crazy patterns.  I used those, plus some others cut from my stash, to make flying geese units.  I set them against Amish black fabric and came up with an interesting layout.

Erin's Bag (6/29/05) & Batik Bag (12/15/07)

I put together this bag back in June of '05.  I had purchased the kit at a large quilting expo, but later ended up actually going to the store that made up the kits, which is down in the Columbus (OH) area.  I had the kit for awhile before attempting to make it.  At the time I didn't really feel like my sewing skills were very good - but I started to gain a little more confidence after the way this bag turned out.

A couple of years later I purchased another kit, a little smaller this time, to make a bag for my mother-in-law to use for her stitching stuff.

English Ivy (7/21/05) and a garage sale ...

This wall hanging started out as a small box kit that I purchased at a large quilting expo ... It had a lot of small pieces, which was an ambitious undertaking for a beginner, which I certainly was at the time!  Most of the quilting was stitch-in-the-ditch, but it had some freemotion out in the border.

In other news, our neighborhood garage sale is going on today and tomorrow.  I've been so busy that I decided that I just couldn't participate.  (and coming down with strep throat all this week hasn't helped either)  All of the cars coming up and around the cul-de-sac is a bit annoying.  The street is normally so quiet that it's just disconcerting to suddenly have this much traffic moving around out in the road.  And of course the dogs hear the kids yelling and the car doors slamming ... just makes for a strange day.

Diamond Paw (6/23/05)

My look back project of the day is a small wall hanging that I made back in June of '05.  This was relatively early in my quilting experience, and we had visited a quilt show where I found this small kit in a box.  Looking back on this project, I think one of the important lessons of this piece is the way that color placement can affect the overall look of a piece. 

Because this was a kit, I had no control over the placement of each color ... but I think they made an error when choosing the darker red/burgundy color ... it draws the eye directly to those areas, and ends up looking like small "x" shapes. The "paw" shapes, which give the block its' familiar name, are almost lost in the mix.

Strep Throat & Democracy Star (10/16/07)

Went to the doctor yesterday because of that sore throat that had me down all weekend - and it turns out it was strep throat.  My voice is nearly gone too.  What a great combo - I could barely tell the pharmacy people my name when I stopped to get my antibiotics.  I actually had to pull out my driver's license and point to the name so that they knew who I was. 

On a sad note, tonight I saw the obituary for a lady that I knew briefly ... she was the mother of my sister's first husband.  I didn't know her well, but she was always very nice to me when our families got together.  Rest in peace Delores, and I hope that her husband and son are able to find some comfort as they move forward without her. 

I didn't have a chance to post anything yesterday, so I missed my look back quilt of the day.  So my look back project for today is a wall hanging called Democracy Star.  I finished it back on 10/16/07.  It was quilted with tan, red and navy silk ...

Dad's Coffee (1/10/06)

I made this quilt for my Dad back in early '06, as a birthday present for him.  The center blocks were meant to look like coffee cups, but unfortunately he didn't see it that way and thought that they were purses.  So the present didn't go over quite the way I had hoped ... 

I miss the babies ...

I miss my babies so much ... I am still grieving, big time!  We lost our Archer on 12/13/09 from pancreatitis, diabetes and congestive heart failure.  And we had to have our Ezri put to sleep on 5/6/10 due to (another) flare up of a bulging disc in her neck and other misc. health concerns.  I miss them SO much.  We still have our other dogs, but the house is quiet without my little man, and our Ezri Lou.  It's just so unfair.  They share so much of our lives, they comfort us, they're there to love us unconditionally ... and in the end, they always seem to go way too soon.  I know my sweet angels are in heaven ... but some nights are harder than others.

Crazy For You (1/20/07)

Okay, today's look back project is from early '07 ... it's a crazy quilt.  The foundations of each block were the pre-printed muslin that was purchased from a store in Findlay, Ohio.  The pattern was called "Crazy For You!"  I used fabrics from Moda's Wuthering Heights line, stuff I had left over from another project.  After doing some paper piecing projects, and some projects with the muslin foundations - I can honestly say that I am not a huge fan of paper piecing.  But I can see why some people find it appealing.

I hate GERD ...

I was diagnosed with GERD a couple of years ago ... and I absolutely hate, hate, hate it.  Yes, I know ... my Mom told me that it was not nice to use the word hate (just like your Mom did too I'm sure).  But I hate it.  I had an absolutely yummy cheeseburger tonight, and instead of looking back on it and remembering how good it was ... I get to live with acid creeping up into my throat for the rest of the evening.  I won't be able to sleep in bed tonight either -- I'll be stuck in my chair, pretending to be comfortable.   AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Crackle Courthouse Steps (7/24/06)

Today's look back project is a pillow that I did using another of the Moda Tin Box Samplers ... this one used the Crackle fabric line, and the design was one of the many variations of the log cabin.  I quilted it with #100 silk.

Countryside Cottage Courtyard (7/25/08)

Countryside Cottage Courtyard is my look back project of the day.  I finished this quilt top on 7/25/08.  I found the pattern in a magazine, and I think the original pattern was called Concetta's Courtyard.  I changed the measurements and added a couple more fat quarters and made this top.  This happens to be one of the few tops that I've made with fabric from a major fabric store, instead of an independent quilt shop.  In choosing the fabrics, I started with the outer border fabric, a floral print, and pulled colors from it for the main body of the top.  Most of the fabrics were from a line called Countryside Cottage.  I have hopes of donating this quilt when it is finished. 

Cinnamon Stars Pillow (2/11/06)

My look back project for today is a sweet little pillow that I finished on 2/11/06. The pillow top was from a Moda Tin Box kit using the Cinnamon Stars line. I turned it into a pillow. I used my embroidery module to do some of the quilting in the four corner blocks. The rest of the pillow was quilted with #100 silk.

Christmas Presence Quilt & Pillow (12/19/06)

My look back project for the day is a neat quilt that was a kit from Moda using the Christmas Presence line.  I made the quilt, and from the leftovers I made a small pillow in log cabin style.

Gift Bags (12/2006)

My look back project for today are the gift bags that I made back in '06 for Christmas.  Every member of the immediate family got one.  I had gotten some fat quarters on sale the summer before ... part of a sale that a shop was having, with all FQ's marked down to $1 each.  So I used those to make the gift bags.  I never considered myself very good at sewing until that project came along, and I seemed to make them pretty good ... I was proud of the way they turned out.

Mother's Day is just too hard ...

There are times that I wish that we could get rid of Mother's Day ... It's just too hard.  I get upset about it every year, and have since I had the miscarriage in '92.  People never know how to approach this with me ... so usually in our family everyone gives gifts to all of the ladies in the family ... that avoids the awful, uncomfortable, awkward moment of distinguishing who is REALLY a mother, and who is not.  I even lied once at a store where they were passing out carnations to all of the mothers.  They assumed that I was a mother, and I accepted the carnation when I should have been honest and given it back.  The one thing that we've always had was the dogs ... so people will jokingly say that I really am a "Mom" to our dogs (but you know that really doesn't count - people just pretend that it does).  This year the holiday is again here, in just a matter of minutes the clock will strike midnight and it will be Mother's Day again.  And with a heavy heart, I will once again try to forget how horrible it feels to have lost a child.  And to make matters worse, we lost one of our dogs to diabetes in December and just two days ago we lost another one to a complication of ailments.  We're still mourning both of them ... So it's going to be a hard day around here.  I'll be once again mourning the child that I lost, and my two little 4-legged kids who shared 8 years and 10 years of our lives (respectively).

Chocolat Pillow (7/22/07)

The look back project for today is this pillow that I made back in July of '07 ... it used nickel/charm squares from Moda's Chocolat line.

Chinese Coins (8/9/05)

My look back quilt of the day is Chinese Coins.  I completed this quilt on 8/9/2005.  It was made using a bundle of 8 green fat quarters and some charm squares.   The Chinese Coins pattern is a pretty traditional quilt pattern.

Ezri (1/26/2000 - 5/6/2010)

Today we lost our sweet Ezri ... It was an awful decision, but we had to make it.  After three back surgeries and a bulging disc in her neck, the problem was again rearing its' ugly head.  And other problems started up too ... wheezing, vomiting, etc.  We knew that today was the day ... and before either of us had lost our nerve, we made the appointment and drove her over to the vet's office this afternoon. 

Having had two separate incidents where she had completely lost the use of her rear legs, I can say that we had been through a lot with her.  We will never forget the day that we saw the tip of her tail twitch after her surgery.  We weren't sure if she'd regain the use of her rear legs at all ... we had not been given very good odds at all.  But we went ahead with the surgery ... Each day we bathed her, gave her the medications, fed her from a small bowl, and helped her with her exercises.  And then one day, there was a tiny twitch, the tiniest little twitch of the very tip of her tail.  The next day it was two twitches, and three the next day, and by the end of the week you could feel some resistance when you moved her rear legs.  Eventually she regained the use of both legs.  Of course she never walked quite the same way, it was more of a waddle than a typical dachshund walk ... but she was mobile. 

I would say more ... I wish I could say more ... but it's just too painful.  We just lost our Archer four months ago, so to lose our Ezri now is just more than we can stand ...

Cherries Jubilee (7/18/06)

My look back project for today was a little pillow that I did in July of '06 ... called Cherries Jubilee.  This was one of the tin boxes from Moda, and instead of creating a table topper or wallhanging, I made it into a small pillow.   Unfortunately I didn't photograph the back of the pillow, where I had used my buttonhole foot to make three buttonholes as a closure.  The piece was quilted with red silk, which was pretty crazy for me at the time! (he he)

Rest In Peace Aunt Lucille ...

Most of the family spent the day traveling up to northwest Ohio to go to the calling hours for my Mom's Aunt Lucille.  She was a very nice and gracious lady.  She will be missed, but she lived a long life.

Will our lawn get mowed today?

Hopefully hubby will be able to mow today after work!

Do I have to walk tonight?

It's sunny out right now, but there's still a chance that we could be some rain tonight ... what a bummer, it might just keep me from walking tonight.

Nickels for May ...

I'm in two nickel swaps this month ... for the one, our theme is yellow.  For the other the theme is 1930's lights.

I Still Love Chocolate Ice Cream!

Came across this photo of me when I was a (very) little girl ... enjoying my chocolate ice cream.  Guess what I had for a snack tonight?  (some things never change)

Open House at the BCFVHS Museum ...

There was a nice open house at the Butler / Clear Fork Valley Historical Society museum in Butler (OH) on Sunday afternoon.  My parents surprised me and showed up for the event too.  They had a nice turnout even with the rain.

The museum is at 43 W. Elm Street in Butler, Ohio.

Butternut & Blue (8/08)

On this rainy Sunday morning I'll look back to a very simple piece that I did in August of 2008 ... the fabric line from Moda was called Butternut & Blue, so that's what I named the piece.  It's just a basic set of five strips with a narrow border and then a wide border.  The whole point of this piece was to really focus on the quilting, rather than the piecing.  I had gotten this set of fabrics at a large sewing & quilt expo in Cleveland several years ago ... and by the time I was piecing this, the fabric line was long gone.  So it was a nice surprise when I went to a shop in Mt. Vernon, Ohio and stumbled across the yellow outer border print.  So I purchased the yardage I needed to do the binding and backing.  It really is a long piece, taking up most of the length of my design wall.  The picture makes it look wrinkled and "puckery", but it really isn't - I guess I just hadn't done a very good job of smoothing it out.

My sister's birthday ...

My sister turned 34 on Friday, but we couldn't all get together until tonight ... so we had a nice little dinner and party at her house.  Her husband made a lot of the food, and we had a nice time.  Her in-laws were there, along with my parents, my grandmother and of course, me and my husband.  It was a nice evening ... the four grandparents and the one great-grandparent spent the whole time shuffling little Jacob around the room, and the t.v. was tuned first to the Kentucky Derby, then to the Indians game, and then to the Cavs.  My sister seemed to like the purse/tote that I made for her (now you know what those mystery designs were for)

She got several nice gifts from everyone, including two new beads for her Pandora bracelet.  I probably haven't mentioned it - but we're a Pandora-obsessed family!  Here are my sister, my Mom and me ... well, at least our wrists, with our beautiful bracelets (if we do say so ourselves! he he)

Blueberry Pie (8/1/08)

Today I'm looking back to August of '08 when I completed Blueberry Pie.  Inspired by a pattern in American Patchwork & Quilting, June ‘07. Moda – Seasons (green, black, cranberry, plum)

Took a walk ...

Well tonight was Toby's first walk ... He's led such a sheltered little life, and we've been bad puppy parents, never really training him to walk on a leash.  We never take him anywhere, except for his vetrinarian appointments - so it's never really been much of an issue.  But over the winter I decided that both Toby and Ba'el should learn to walk on a leash with us.  Of course it really is sad to think about those plans I made last fall, since they included our Archer too ... we had no clue he would get so sick so quickly.  He's been gone since mid-December, but there are days I still expect him to be standing in the kitchen when I go downstairs. 

Not sure if we'll be able to take a walk tomorrow, since there are some thunderstorms in the forecast for both Saturday and Sunday.  But whenever it is that we do get to take our next walk, we'll be taking Ba'el this time.  Either her by herself, or with Toby too.   They make dog strollers, and we really want to get one.  I need to do some measuring before we decide which one to get.  Ezri is a standard dachshund, so she's longer.  We'll have to find a stroller long enough to accomodate her length.  But with three back surgeries in her past, and her neck problems flaring up again - having her in a stroller would be the only way she could go along with us.

Here's our Toby ...