Currently no sewing

 Hello Friends

I don't have much to share with you today.  I have not been in the sewing room for a while.  I did manage to get 20 pot holders made for a friend who is donating them to the food pantry in her area.

It was a great way to use up scraps.  I can't believe it didn't make a dent in my Holiday fabric tote.  I also found 7 full yards of fabric that I don't remember buying.  Not sure what those were for unless I caught a sale.

I am currently working on another baby quilt for a friends new grandson.  I hope to have some time this weekend to finish it.  Then I would like to finish one for a coworker/friend who is due in December.  I would also like to make a jelly roll rug for my sister if time permits.

Do you make gifts for your coworkers?  I have for many years but I am running out of ideas.  If you could share your ideas I would appreciate it.

I have been thinking about my goals for next year.  I am going to think a little more before I share them here.  Maybe next post will have them figured out.

If I am not here for a few weeks, I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate.  I will be cooking for my family and we will be playing bingo.

Blessings

Amy

A little sewing

 Hi All!

How are you?  This summer went so fast!  I don't have a lot to show for it though.  My mom tore a tendon in her hip and was in a rehab facility for 4 weeks.  My sister and I had to take her to and from dialysis 3 days a week.  Then I would run every other day to do her laundry.  She is home now and getting more rehab at home.  She is doing about 85% better. She also had to have a cath lab on her heart.  There is some calcium build up in one of the arteries so she will need another cath soon.  That does not leave much time for sewing.  Which is fine by me.  This is just a season and will pass.

This is National Sewing month.  I have tasked myself with sewing for 15 minutes each day.  Now this 'sewing' includes, cutting fabric and quilt layout.  Not all actually machine time.  So far this month, I have been able to do it every day. I am working on some pot holders for a friend.  I hemmed some curtains. I made a baby quilt from start to finish.  And I have 2 more next to my machine to get sewn.  Here is the baby quilt:

I was able to make this with all fabric from my stash.  The batting and backing included. I also have the other 2 cut out from my stash.  It's really nice to not have to go to the shop for supplies.  But it is kind of sad that I don't get to do that either.  I just have too much. I am going to work on using as much of my stash as I can before buying any more.  I would like to visit my local quilt shop but I can't justify it until I make more quilts from my stash.  I will work on my goals for next year and see if going to my local shop is something I should do.

What do you call too much fabric?  Do you just buy what a pattern calls for or do you buy what you like with thoughts of how to use it.  I just bought too much of the fabrics I like.  With no intentions.  Which is nice to have on hand but also a curse. :)  I have 3 totes of scraps.  And not little totes, 30 gallon totes.  I better get off of here and go and sew something!

Blessings,

Amy

Word of the year

 Hello Friends

I have finally finished my word for the year.  Any guesses?  I went to a quilt retreat offered from the guild I am in. I was able to get a lot of things together.  I had 3 quilts cut out and ready to sew.  I got 2 made and my word.  This is a word that can have a few different reactions to it.  Here it is:

Now, what was your first reaction?  Was it, 'I've had enough!' or was it 'I am enough!'  See?  It depends on your day and what you are going through.  It's a grey word so that is why I used these colors.

To me the word is more on the positive side.  I am enough.  I have enough.

What would your word be for this year?

Blessings

Amy

Goals and random things

 Hello Friends

Hope you are all doing well.  I am not sure anyone reads this anymore, but I am still going to use it to post my thoughts.  If you are reading this, please post a comment.

2024 has not started off the best.  We had some bad weather in January forcing some appointment changes for mom and some work from home challenges.  February 9th was my son's 27th birthday.  He came down and we took him out to eat.  Unbeknownst to us, mom was carrying covid.  We all got together on Saturday at my sister's.  Mom was coughing pretty badly.  We thought it was extra fluid as she is a dialysis patient.  My son and I took her to the ED when we were done at the party.  They ran their normal tests and she came back positive.  We were all shocked!  She thinks she picked it up when she went out to eat with a friend earlier in the week.  By Wednesday, we all had tested positive.  Luckily I can work from home.  On Wednesday I woke up with the worst teeth pain of my life.  I took a Mucinex and called out of work.  Slept most of the day.  But that was the worst of it for me.  My mom spent 2 nights in the hospital but was never on oxygen, just weak.

March 3rd was my mom's birthday.  We had a few birthday parties for her.  We are all feeling so much better.  My son was home again this past weekend.  It's always great to have him home. This was a bunny I made for mom's birthday.  I made the bow and put on the flowers.  It will sit outside her apartment door in the hallway.

Back in December I needed to make a baby quilt for a coworker.  I had found a really neat pattern and got started. I was finished with the quilt and I like to wash them before I gift them.  Unfortunately, where I had sewed on the binding waves, it had pulled apart in some places.  I tried to fix them and re-washed the quilt.  Other areas opened up.  Ugh!  I could not gift this!

This picture was before the finished binding.  Looks great!  But it did not wash well.  I am taking it all apart and redoing it to gift to another baby.  Hopefully it doesn't pull apart this time.

I still needed a quilt.  What was I going to do.  I found a pattern on Pinterest and decided I could paper piece the blocks.  I quickly got to work and made this:

The baby room theme was ocean so I think this fit the bill.  It washed up nicely I just hope it stays together.

In between making baby quilts, I also was knitting.  My bestie in Colorado loves purple so I made this for her:

It's a scarf.  My sister made me one and I get compliments every time I wear it.  I hope my friend does too.  I am working on another one at the moment.

Now on to goals for 2024.  I have picked my word for the year just need time to make it up.  Hopefully by my next post.  I am going to a quilt retreat in April with members of my quilt guild.  I can't wait!

Here are things I would like to work on:

Floral Bouquet Quilt-pattern by Tilda Fabrics

John Wayne Quilt- bought a panel and fabric from Fat Quarter Shop

Cow Quilt-bought panel from a local quilt shop

Wild and Goosey-pattern by Bonnie Hunter

Potato Chip Quilt-making for a retired friend

As far as goals for the year, I'd like to get some quilts made for gifting.  I would like to make 2 or 3 baby quilts and 2 or 3 scrap quilts.  I am not setting hard goals as I don't want to set myself up for failure. Since we can't predict how the year is going to go, I would just like to continue sewing and crafting.  What I get done, I get done.

Do you have goals?  How do you stick with them?

Blessings!

Amy

Happy New Year! - 2024

 Hello Friends!

Hope you had a relaxing and joyful holiday with friends and family.  If not, I hope you took some time for some self care and love.

Not much has been happening on the sewing/craft front.  I did put together a mug rug for the first challenge of Project Quilting this year.  I will post about that at a later time. It was nice to sew again.  I have been going through my sewing room and organizing and purging.  I have found I have too many scraps again.  Time to make some scrappy quilts!

I am working on my goals for crafting and sewing this year.  I have a lot of things I need to do on the outside of my house this Spring/Summer, but I hope I will still have time to finish a few things. While cleaning I have discovered other crafts that aren't sewing related.  I am deciding if I will work on them once a month or let them go.  I enjoy so many different things, it's hard to decide. I am also currently knitting a scarf for a friend.  Her birthday was in October but I just didn't get it finished.  I am so close!  I am also working on my word for the year.  I have the word picked out just need to decide on fabric choices.

What about you?  Do you make goals and try to stick to them?  Do you journal? How do you keep track of your goals and things that need finishing?

Back soon with pictures and other fun things!

Blessings

Amy

Before and After House - 2023

 Hi Friends!

Hope you are starting to get into the holiday groove.  I am so excited for Thanksgiving.  I love it more than Christmas honestly. I think there is more work involved with Christmas and it just makes me tired.  With Thanksgiving, I really get to enjoy my time with family.  Everyone brings something for the meal so I don't feel like I do it all.  Really no pressure, just fun.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had windows and siding put on the house this summer. This house was built in 1896.  My parents bought it in 1972.  I was 2.  It's the only house I've really known.  My dad put lots of time and money into redoing the inside.  They put a metal roof on about 12 years ago.  Any time he changed a window, he just put rolled siding around it.  Nothing ever matched.  It was time to update and make it my own. I bought it 5 years ago.  It was really bittersweet though.  It no longer looks like the house I grew up in.  Here it is before:

And here is the after:

I still have a lot of work to do on the outside and the inside.  I need a new railing for the front porch and I need to clean the limestone rock around it.  I need to find something to cover the foundation on the front and West side of the house. I need to paint around the trim of the windows on the inside. I hope you all like the changes as much as I do.

So along with the goals for sewing for next year, I have house goals too. My biggest for next year is flooring in the downstairs and a deck on the North side of the house.  I would like to also check out the price of having gas put in the house instead of fuel oil. I do need to do some landscaping but that may have to wait another year.  My sidewalks need work too.  It's always something with a home, isn't it?

I am hoping to share one more post before the holidays, but if I don't, I hope you all have a blessed holiday season.

Blessings

Amy

2023 Goals

 Hello Friends

I was reading another blog and she was updating everyone on her 3rd quarter and what goals were accomplished.  That got me thinking about my goals for this year. Here it is October and boy have my goals changed this year.  Here are my goals for this year.

• Finish all started quilts - this did not get touched
• Paint the kitchen cupboards - still have the paint and need to do before Christmas
• Clean out the small garage and have a sale - it's organized but still need to have a sale
• Carpeting in 3 rooms - money spent on windows and siding instead
• Make 3 scrap quilts for gifting - not yet but there is still time before the end of the year
• Table runner for my Aunt in Winter/Spring - have not thought about this at all
• Bed runner for Aunt's SIL - no clue what I am doing

Little did I know that in May I would contact a contractor to put new windows and siding on the house.  I met with them May 2.  Signed the contract and was told siding in 4-6 weeks and windows in 10-12.  I decided to put all of my sewing things away so they could do the window in that room.  I worked on a quilt for a retiring friend and made a baby quilt but that was it for this year so far. I called the contractor each month to see where we were in the process.  Supply chain issues are still a thing when it comes to siding and windows.  They decided to do the windows first.  August 28th they replaced 13/14 windows. One was ordered wrong and we are still waiting on that one.  A week later the siding was delivered and they started that.  I will make a post about that soon.  They still have some small things to finish.

So my summer was spent getting ready for the contractors.  My mom ended up in the hospital for 3 days too.  She is fine. I spent time with my son at concerts and seeing musicals with my mom and sister.  So it's been a great summer.  Just not what was planned.  And sometimes you have more fun with no plans.

So I am going to make a short list of goals to tackle before the end of the year:

• write blog post about house updates
• baby quilt for coworker
• clean and organize sewing space
• put together at least one scrappy quilt

I will leave you today with this picture.  This is the quilt I made for my coworker/friend.  She retired in July. I didn't get a good picture of the quilting, but it came together very well.  This is a pattern by my friend Trish and can be found at Blue Bar Quilts online.

Are you working on your goals for 2024?  I am just trying to get through this month.  It's going to get busy with the holidays but then Winter really hits and there will be more time to sew.  I hope.

Blessings

Amy