Hello Notions Nook!!!

 I found the new-to-me quilt shop today. It is not too far from home (closer than the other shops in town), and was quite LOVELY. The Notion Nook will be seeing a lot of me! There are walls of 1800 repos, 1930's repos, Primitive Gatherings, and more Moda than you can imagine! (click on the link, cause she has online shopping too) I did not see any hand quilting notions, so I asked the lady behind the counter if she carried any. Cay introduced herself as the owner, and led me directly to a peg holding Dritz quilting betweens. UGH....they suck. Just my opinion. I told her I was looking for a place that carried thread, batting, and needles that were hand quilter friendly. She apologized and said she had not had a need for those items, but had been trying to get a hand quilting class going so she could broaden out into that arena. I told her that I had been teaching for Acorn for the last 4 years, and before I could get another word out, she ran and got a pad of paper and a pen and said, "What do you need in the store, and can you teach classes here?" So long story short, she is ordering all my favorite hand quilting notions and I have a class in June!! I did not come home without sampling her wares! I got the bumper stickers shown above, and some darling Moda packs (a 5" and two 2 1/2") that will be perfect for the Simply Charming quilts.

I also grabbed a stack of Civil War Repo fat quarters. I love them!! They are so gorgeous!

Cammy was very interested in what was coming out of that bag!

Don't worry....we don't eat on those placemats ;)

Yesterday my WW friends, Carol and Melody, came over so we could baste Carol's "queen" sized quilt. I say "queen" cause it was NOT queen!! It was bigger than KING! We had to piece an 8 inch wide strip onto the 120x120 bat. Luckily she had another one in the car!

Carol (in the lime green) pieced together blocks that her 80-something year old mother embroidered. The 16" blocks are gorgeous!!!

She used the perfect fabrics to sash them!

4 hours later (that includes a break to eat a wonderful salad Carol brought) the quilt was ready for the hoop. 

Now back to today...I am flip flopping LOL....I spent the day with my mom shopping for wall decor to match her new couch. I love what we came up with!!

So pretty!!! That couch is BIG! While we were at Old Time Pottery,  I found this metal star that I knew would look good on the small wall in my eating area. 

It's all textured, which doesn't show in the picture, and looks like it was made for that spot! 

That's all for now. I am going back to Mom's for the morning tomorrow, and then grocery shopping. The rest of the week should be very relaxed. We are expecting sunny days and climbing temps....and Friday brings grandkids!!!! YAY!!!!

Good-Bye to Acorn Quilts

 Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for Cammy. She seems to be back to her old self. I am praying it remains that way and we don't have cycles of this issue. 

It has been a beautifully sunny day today. It was much needed!! Today, I packed up all my supplies and headed off to teach hand quilting at Acorn Quilt Shop.

Sadly, Acorn is closing the end of May, so this was my last class. I have been teaching there for 4 years now, since she first opened the shop. She is closing the doors for a month and then reopening as a vintage shop. I will sure miss my trips to that shop. 

I am blessed to live in a city that has several quilt shops, though none 1/2 a mile from my house! ;) I heard of a new one I did not know about today, so on Tuesday, I will be headed that way. I hear they have lots of Civil War repos...my absolute favorite kinds of fabrics!

I didn't leave empty handed today. I got several yards of fabric, and a new rotary cutter.

My rotary cutter is about 15 years old, and as I am cutting with it, the whole thing falls apart!! Not a good thing. I bought the exact same kind, cause I think 15 years is a long life. 

I spent yesterday basting my Simply Charming mini and the baby quilt. I love the backing for this cute little boy quilt.

I also have this pile of "stuff" next to my chair. My calendar, bill folder, and all the score keys for Charlotte's school books sit in a pile that ends up looking unsightly. I found this wonderful wooden box downstairs. I use to fill it with pine cones and set it on the fireplace. 

Everything nice and neat! As you can see, my Simply Charming book arrived yesterday! Oh the wonderful quilts in that book! It will be difficult to choose which one to make next! 

Looking forward to a very productive week. I hope the same for you!

She Perceiveth That Her Merchandise Is Good

The grandkids are gone, and though I am sad, Sassy is thrilled! Emerson decided Sass needed to be in her litter box at all times....meaning whenever she saw Sassy, she would pick that kitty up and drag her to the box, saying "Kitty go potty" all the way!!!! Sassafras was NOT amused...at all.

I put my desk chair from the man room, into the studio. It makes a WORLD of difference in my ability to sit for longer periods of time at the machine!!! Zach and Em tried it out for size.
Emerson loves to watch me sew and hands me pins as she declares "I sew too." Yes, she will be a quilter!! Don't worry..the machine was not on!
I am getting ready to finish up a round of my latest, and largest, piecing project. This quilt has, and will, consume many hours of work. I anticipate some late nights with it in my hands. The next round calls for ORANGE!!!!! A light and a bright on a white background.
This passage of scripture from Proverbs 31 reminds me of the work being done on this quilt.
"She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff." Though my fabric purchases were made at my local fabric shop, these cuties were ordered from Daisy Cottage Quilting.The blue, floral, stork scissors are mine, and the angel scissors are for Charlotte. She LOVES them. She is really working hard at her embroidery and she is making an afghan for a sweet neighbor who gave her a bag full of wonderful yarn. If you haven't visited Sharon's shop, click on the link. She has a wonderful inventory, and my scissors arrived in record time!
That is all for now. Have a blessed Lord's Day , and I'll see you next week!

A Quilty Post

My third Libby Quilt top is done. I really like this one. Even after having to rip out seams, it is going to be a favorite.
Too cute. Those baskets are 4 inch blocks set on point. Now to plan out the next one.
School is not going well this year. It is one frustrating day after another....I took control yesterday, so I am assuming the better day we had today was not a fluke. After an incredibly stressful morning yesterday, I told Sweetheart I just HAD to get out of there for a while. Where did I go? Acorn Quilts, of course! I grabbed a yard of a beautiful black fabric (not pictured) I need and can be used in several projects. Also, 2 half yard cuts...another black (which I used as the borders for the above Libby Quilt),and a pretty floral...another perfect Libby Quilt fabric.

6 different fat quarters.....THESE are my favorites and I think I may get some actual yardage of that large floral.Some yellow, cause you gotta have some yellow.And this interesting piece. A great Libby Quilt border, I think.All in all ,that fabric therapy cost me 33 dollars. Blessedly, I got an unexpected $60 check. Still, it is not something I will be able to do very often, so those kids better pull it together QUICK!!!I am really concentrated on the Hidden Star. I am at the count down! 9 blocks to go! I can not WAIT to have this thing finished!!!!Tonight is church and tomorrow is a day with my mom. Both activities I look forward to.

That silly cat! She just lands her butt where ever she pleases!She got the spray bottle just after this pic was taken! Her expression was the same as in this pic where we were telling her to get down....a "Who me? How dare you" look!

Come back on Friday for the Quilter's Giveaway post. See you then.

A Quiet Sunday

Fall has certainly arrived. Our trees are beginning to turn and the air is crisp. Soup and chili are finding their way onto the menu. Sweetheart took Zach out to the farm where he grew up. Much work to do out there and he needed the extra hands. I am spending my day quietly doing hand work. I had quilt group yesterday and I walked in ready to enjoy my time of sewing and fellowship. As I headed back to the back room, Kay said, "Hi Brenda. How are you?" I replied, "Just fine", and headed back to the classroom where we meet. A beautiful woman approached me and asked if I was Bren...I think she said Bren, maybe it was Brenda. Either way, I told her I was and she introduced herself to me. Joanne!!! Over 3 years ago, I had "met" Joanne on an online Flylady Quilters group. She shared her blog, Rockin' on the Porch, with me and I read it, along with others from her comments and blog list. I was HOOKED. I started Pieces From Me soon after. So I finally got to meet my blogging mentor! We hugged and spent the next 2 hours talking and sharing with the other ladies in the group. Joanne just had carpal tunnel surgery so she did not sew, but I can not wait to see her creations in person....she is coming back (I hope!) Joanne started a new blog last summer (just like me) when her sweet Bill passed away. New beginnings....you can find her at Attitudes and Gratitudes. What a great spirit she has. I so wished I had my camera with me!

Instead of taking the Hidden Star to quilt group I had planned to take the wool. Well, I did not have the right background. So instead I took my hexagons. I had attached 2 of the 70 I have basted, but was not happy with the outcome. I could see my stitches. One of the girls at quilt group is doing hexagons and promised to help me. It was a matter of thread color...that was it.

I decided I would work on these at group only, but liked them so much, I decided to take a hand quilting break (for only a couple of days) and work on these at home too. (See the fabric they are laying on? That is the background I picked up for the wool.) I have 2 full rows put together.
Another project I was whipping up has not gone as smoothly as desired. Look at this!!!!!
UGH!!! I will be froggin for sure! Rip it! Rip it! For today, this quiet, stress-free Sunday, I will whip stitch hexagons!
Kyle is having a PJ, movie day, and Charlotte is spending her day stitching a new towel I prepared for her. Christmas gifts are well under way!Food. Let's talk about the food thing for a minute. I got the new book, "This Is Why You Are Fat" by Jackie Warner. I won't put a picture on because the cover is very immodest, but let me say the content (minus the phrases "hot" and "se*y" every once in a while) is packed full of wonderful information. I am a fitness/diet/health book fanatic, and I must say this is by FAR the best one I have read yet. So of course it says eat clean....and organic....and that is impossible here. Organic is not financially feasible at this time. Clean...I can, maybe, do that. Still I can afford a few items that are organic. Some produce and eggs for starters.
Some of you asked exactly what I am doing. I am doing what works for my body. Low Carb (not high fat or high protein). It does good things for me. For me, it corrects high blood pressure, low/high blood sugars, and cholesterol levels (good and bad) come into normal range, plus I lose at a nice pace....1-3 pounds a week. I am also exercising.....UGH! So far I am doing a 2 mile power walk 6 days a week, but may change that to do Jackie Warner's workout in the book. It looks TOUGH, so we'll see.

I am also a Splenda freak. I guess eating clean means getting rid of Splenda. Not sure I can do that completely, but I did get some Truvia. It is ok....I like the chemical fizz I get from Spenda, but then what are ya gonna do??!! I treated myself to some flavored coffee this afternoon....I added Truvia to my Splenda French Vanilla, so that was better than the extra spoonful of Splenda I would have added. Only 1 more pound til I can make my 15 pound block for the fat quilt!
Sassy has fallen in love with a box.She rubs her face on it and purrs loudly. Finally, she climbs in and takes a snooze.CrAzY cat!
Hope you are all having a quiet Sunday too!

"The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet"
Isaiah 14:7a

Adventures

I had a good time yesterday out and about with my mom. Well....kinda. As you can see, mom is always a good time. I am not sure if it was that she was so tired (She had a sleep study done the night before), or if it was just an "off" day for her, but between her running a red light and killing a squirrel, it was a tad stressful! You have to know that my mother buys special peanut butter for the sandwiches she makes all the squirrels at her house. It was traumatic! As always, I got my giggles watching her run for a potty. Happens every week! I don't think she knows I took this!I have come to look so forward to my one day a week with Mom. Today was a rainy cloudy day and, Oh, my gosh, was it cold! Sweaters and socks were in order. I decided today would be a good day to baste the Hidden Star. I laid it out on the table to mark it and Sassafras got all wild eyed!!! While I marked the blocks, she actually had the nerve to jump up on the table, plant herself in the middle of the quilt top and lift a back leg straight up into the air, ever so gracefully, and proceeded to clean her bum! I don't think so!!!!!
Once she realized she was not being given a royal berth (thanks for the link to the Thesaurus Alesha), she sat and watched from a distance. I never did get it basted, but the marking is all done.This afternoon, I took a break from marking the top and took a trip to Acorn Quilts.
Sweetheart gave me money to spend there for Mother's Day. I already had my list made, so I went as soon as he gave me the green light! I pulled up in front of the shop, and through the store window, I saw Lesley, the owner, chatting with an attractive woman. I even thought, "Gosh that is a beautiful lady!"Imagine my surprise when I walked in to find it was Selene! I had not seen her in a few years. Selene lived a few houses down from us when I was growing up. She was older than me, and younger than my mom, though she and my mother became wonderful life long friends. I use to LOVE going to her home, which I did often. She had the most incredible sewing room with a huge apple tree painted on the sunshine yellow walls. I had never seen a sewing room before and my 13 year old mind made a promise to itself to someday have one too! She had a daughter and 2 little boys and what a beautiful home she made for them all. Her husband died 4 years ago after suffering for 14 years after a stroke. Selene cared for him all that time. She did the flowers for my son's wedding, and her talent is limitless.....seamstress, quilter, florist, gardener....and now she is thinking of buying a large piece of property with a house that has 22 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and the most incredible grounds (I saw pictures). Guess what it will be? Go on, take a guess! Ok, I can't wait so I will tell you!!!
A QUILT CAMP!!!!
Yes....just like in the Elm Creek books!! It will be a wonderful place....I promise to let you know when it opens. My 15 minute shopping trip ended up being 2 hours long, hence my quilt not getting basted!! Selene, Lesley, the new girl (gosh, I am bad with names), and I, all had a wonderful time shopping and visiting. And Mom....no lights were run and no squirrels were killed! :oP
So what did I buy????2 yards of background fabric for TJ's quilt (the first stuff did not work), 1/2 yard cuts of 2 other background fabrics, probably for more Libby quilts, 4 black fat quarters (think Sassy) and a new pattern. Why think Sassy?The pattern is called "There's a Cat in My Baltimore Album". It was designed by a local lady so I am not sure where else you can get it. If you want one let me know. A finished version hangs in the classroom at Acorn Quilts.Of course, in my version, all the cats will be Sassy-girl. How perfect is that? There is always a Sassy cat on my quilts!!! The year on the quilt will be 2010, for when we got her. Not that it will be completed in 2010!!!!!
Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts from my last post. It always goes in cycles here, and I know there will come a day, maybe soon, where things will settle down. Until then, I will focus on the positive and wait for my next day out with mom. First, we will let the squirrel population build up a bit!