Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I Have to Say! Go and visit for a while

http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/2012/01/fat-3.html
Go over and say hello.  Nice giveaway going on here :-)

Tatertots and Jello

http://tatertotsandjello.com/2012/01/adorn-it-happy-hearts-fabric-giveaway-2.html/comment-page-4#comment-161182
Happy Hearts Fabric Giveaway just in time for Valentines :-)  Did you sign up yet?

Kool Beenz is having a giveaway!

http://koolbeenz-blog.blogspot.com/2012/01/give-away-27-who-wants-to-win-25-shoppe.html
Hey - a new giveaway is going on over at Kool Beenz - Go see! :-)  Sponsored by The Quilted Castle

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Cozy Pumpkin has a nice giveaway going on

<a href="http://www.thecozypumpkin.com/p/quilt-along.html"/><img src=" http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab241/dolphinjedi/NewbieQuilt-Along1.jpg" /></a>
OK = y'all go over and visit at the Cozy Pumpkin - she has a nice giveaway going on! :)

Knitty Bitties - cute as can be

http://knittybitties.blogspot.com/2012/01/crumb-quilting-tutorial-giveaway.html
Well - I still don't have "active" links here so cop and paste and go check out this sweet giveaway.
Learn about crumb fabrics too :0

Giveaway over at Lily Pad Quilting :-)

Go on over to the Lily Pad and check out the fun giveaway!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Hopefulthreads giveaway - go visit and see :-)

sew with heart 3 by Hopeful Threads, on Flickr

UFO # 16

Sixteen  Not the best picture - but it's churn dash.  
We had a cutting day at my 93 year old lady friends home.  
(you english majors out there - I appologize for my poor grammar)
We combined our stashes and cut enough for all 4 of us to make a throw qult
Miss Mertis, Carol, Aunt Eunice and me.
They have all completed theirs - but - mine is still in the works
I'll get there - soon
Trying to decide what color I want to use on the outside edges
Maybe pink?  or Aqua?
I'll do some research for a vintage color I love



UFO # 15

OK so now we're up to 15   This is already cut and ready to sew up.  Feedsack vintage fabrics.  A gift from a cherished friend Carol.   I am so lucky and blessed to have so many good friends. :-)  Thank you Miss Carol.




UFO # 14

Number 14 is a smocking project.  I always wanted to learn how to smock, and even tried doing a coupld of childs smocked dresses (many years ago) using gingham.  Done by hand - not run through a pleater.  It was a labor of love for my nieces.  WHEW - Lot's of love.   It was very time consuming.
Now - I have a pleater of my own (intimidating for sure - don't want to break a needle because I only have one or two extras)...
My friend JJ is sharing her knowledge with me and helping me along the smocking path.
This is a pattern from an Australian book called Bluebird.  I JUST LOVE Bluebirds!  I have some of those blown blue glass birds in my home called the Bluebird of Happiness and since I am a "Byrd" it fits me nicely.
This will go into my Grandmothers Hopechest! :-)


UFO # 13

Lucky thirteen ... is ... another swap from Quilt in a Day.  This one has to do with butterfly's.  I did the pieced one (second one down).  When I finish it I will have to come back to this post and put a picture of it finished.  Butterly's are so sweet!  I love the song - the dog and the Butterfly! :-)


UFO # 12

And number twelve is next - this is embroidery and I am not finished yet.  It is sunbonnet girls and they are in the garden.  Catching butterfly's, pushing a swheelbarrow and stuff.  There are some pretty little blue birds flying around them too.  Hope to finish it this year - but if not - O h Well - it's a good carry along project.
Can't stand idle hands.




UFO # 11

Eleven - this is another thrift store find.  I found it while I was "shopping" in Birmingham area.  My husband was at Barber's Motor Speedway and I was "thrifting".  I think it is feed sacks and it is hand pieced - but it does need some repair.  Still - I love vintage.




UFO # 10

# 10 is a rainbow of strips.  Isn't it pretty!?  My Aunt donated these to me.  Just need to sew them up :)




UFO # 9

Number Nine is Bouillabaisse (did I spell that right?)
My Aunt Eunice has made a BEAUTIFUL Bouillabaisse quilt in reds and blacks and browns.  Her's is so pretty.  She was SO kind to allow me to raid her scraps and this one has been in progress for a while.  My addition put me into a tail spin stall!  I messed up and when I purchased the "corner" fabric - I got only 1/2 as much as I needed.  But now that I have it in a photo - I see that the corner fabric just does not pop!? does it?  Hmmm... I'll have to give that one some more thought.



UFO # 8

Now to UFO # 8 - I swapped 2 inch postage stamps :-)  100 different squares (you see the duplicates here because - while I was cutting - I cut three sets).  My swap partner was in Pennsylvania! 
If you like the idea of this - you should check out   The Curious Quilter's website.  More swaps are coming soon.  And you choose how many sets you want to swap and what size!  This will take some time.
100 2 inch squares finished only makes a 15 inch sqaure .... hmmmm - I'll be adding some filler here.


UFO # 7

Good Old LUCKY # 7  Isn't he pretty!  I mean - Bratley = he wanted to be in a post on the blog! :-)
This is a FIND in a thrift store.  Hand pieced and ready to be basted.  Bratley was clean on this day - so - no worries! :-)  He just wanted to say HI!  Willie is sitting to his right - waiting his turn !
GOT to love the doggies  ;-)

UFO # 6

On to # 6 ... I almost forgot about this one.  It is a Christmas block swap.  Now - if I can only find my "master template" of where each one goes and how they fit together.  Guess I'll be doing a jigsaw puzzle?  Well, that's one good thing about fabric - just cut another piece and sew it up and "make it work".
I love to "just" make it work out.!

UFO # 5

Number 5 ... Stay Alive Johnny Five  These are the crazy quilt blocks from the swap I did on Quilt in a Day site.  You all should check out the website community.  My Sister, Gwen introduced me to this fun way of exchanging blocks and charms through the mail all over the county.  It makes the US seem a bit smaller when you "get to know" so many people from all over the US and international too.
Cheerful colors ? aren't they?

UFO # 4

Ok we're up to #4 now.  Here it is.  Red Crazy Cathy Quilt blocks.  Enough for a small throw?  I got carried away when I did a swap through Quilt in a Day and made my own set of reds to keep.  Just need to stitch them up.

UFO #3





These blocks I bought  a couple of years ago at the Pensacola Quilt Show.  They are specially designed and the name is Five Flags.  They are so pretty! :-)  I just need to make a table runner so something small with them.

UFO # 2

This shows only a few of the blocks I collected from a swap on the Quilt in a Day site -  Oops - my toes and little Willies head are included here ! :)  Oh well-  The little blue Scottie dog is chasing butterfly's and you must know that he represents my two terriers.  Not shown is a Kitty Kat my sister made ... this one just needs to be put together! :-)

Unfinished Objects = UFO's

I am working on my UFO list for 2012.  Since I joined a quilting club named Stitch N Friends - we are to begin making a list of UFO's and for each UFO we complete - we get our name in a drawing for prizes in December.  
So - I will begin to share with you and catalog my UFO List.  Below you see one of the many Maple Leaf blocks I have - all ready to join and become a quilt top.  I need to count them, but I believe after sashing is added I will have enough for two lap quilts. 

Crazy Cathy becomes the swamp thing!

Aughrrr!!! My dogs get me into so much trouble!  As much as I love those fur baby's - they cause a great deal of distress!
Yesterday I was about to go walk with a friend and went outside to bring my dogs in.  They are "protected" by an underground fence.  Well- I look and see that they are OUTSIDE their fence boundary!  Down past the pond and about to go under the old washed down chain link fence into the scary ugly stinkly SWAMP!  I yelled and called and clapped my hands at them and they totally ignored me.   Never even looked back!
I get my two leashes and headed down to the pond in my dress pants and sandals - going to save my dogs from the big bad mean snakes!  Bratly turned to look at me and tried to come to me  - but he got "stuck" in the creek bank bog - thankfully he was able to finally dig out and back up the bank, because I couldn't get to him for the mangled fence.  Once he was back on muddly ground - he and Willie began to wander again.
AUGH!!! come to you Momma! Boys!
I braved up all I could and said to myself - I can hold onto this crooked fence post - it's strong enough to hold me up.  So I took a step out - onto the old trash covered chain fence and I went for it. Going to get my dogs back!  Well - that fence acted like a trampoline and THREW me down into the creek onto some old hard roots.  Down into that swamp muck stink water!  Down onto my knees and side! 
I got back up to my feet with my hair in dreadlocks and clothes wet with yuck water!  AUGRRR!!!  I climbed my way back up the creek bank and onto the muddy ground... (surely not solid) and the dogs were gone from site! Then I heard a BIG SPLOSH into the water near me and saw the swirl from something!?  My Sister said - maybe it was a turtle.  I surely do hope so - but all I could think of was SNAKE!
What now!?
How am I going to get back to the safety of my own back yard?  I managed to work my way around.
And by the time I was near the back door the dogs were back into our yard.  Filthy, stinky, muddy and panting - with the most excited looks on their faces you can imagine!
I leashed them and we all had a nice long hot shower followed by an early bedtime to nurse my bruised bones and joints. 
So that is how - I became a Swamp Thing!  Hope it's the last time too.  :-)

Monday, January 23, 2012

4 lucky people will #win 2 yards of Premier Fabrics with @splendidamy at Positively Splendid! I hope I'm 1 of them! http://ow.ly/8AjCT 
Go to Postively Spendid and see the most beautiful nursery  - cheerful and fun
http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2012/01/premier-fabrics-giveaway.html

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Month before blogiversary celebration :-)

http://mysismademe.blogspot.com/
This is a cool giveaway- celebrating a blogiversary one month before her blogiversary - go over a visit a minute to see whats going on :)