Simply Sandy

I'm in a Slump!

2012-01-31T19:28:00.000-05:00

After I finished the tumbler quilt from my last post, I have been in a slump. I just can't seem to get my mojo on. Have you ever had that happen to you? I want to sew, I have lot's of ideas, I just can't seem to get motivated. What do you do to snap out of it?

My First Finish for 2012!

2012-01-05T14:22:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to have my first finished quilt for 2012. I started this one a couple months ago. I don't turn them out as quickly as a lot of quilters because I normally hand quilt. I love the red and aqua color combination and this line (bliss by Bonnie and Camille) does not disappoint. Perfect for this pattern. My dd, Misty, claimed this one for her house. The older daughter, Amy, has claimed the next one already. It will be made of the red and aqua line called sugar and spice.

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Hope you and your family are enjoying this special time of year!

A Doll Quilt for Ava

2011-11-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

It's Ava's 6th birthday this Friday. I knew I wanted to make something special for her. I settled on a doll quilt. I love dots and incorporated them into many of the aspects of this little quilt. I started with the fabric. The background fabric is little dots. Most of the yo yos are made with different polka dot fabrics. I sewed them to fabric in a grid pattern. Then I sewed the grids with perle cotton. I used a different color thread for each one. I ended with a colorful striped binding. I love the way it turned out. I hope Ava likes it. I think I need to get a new baby doll to go with it!

Our Family

2011-11-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

This post isn't about anything crafty. I just wanted to share some family pictures we had made at the local nature preservative. It's not easy getting this many people together in one place. And trying to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time is really tricky. Just forget about getting everyone to smile. Considering how windy the day was and that there were four little ones five or younger, I think they turned out pretty good.

Amy's Quilt Bloggers' Festival

2011-10-30T10:03:00.000-04:00

Once again Amy at http://amyscreativeside.com/ is having her quilters blog fest. She does this in the spring and fall every year and it is sew much fun to see all the beautiful quilts and meet new blogging friends.

The quilt I'm showing this year is my first attempt with perle cotton. I love the look of it, but am not quite sure I have the hang of it. It is kind of difficult to pull through the layers. The pattern I used was adapted from one I saw using layer cakes. This one was made using charm squares I got at a steal from Connecting Threads and some Kona cotton. It turned out fresh and springy and although I am in love with it, I decided my sister should have it for her new house. The great thing is, she loves it, too!

Cheese!!!

2011-10-13T16:33:00.000-04:00

Allie is so cute. As soon as I pick up the camera she says, "cheese!" Love this sweet baby girl! Grandkids are the best.

A Little Tip to Share

2011-09-29T23:00:00.001-04:00

You know when you are laying your blocks out and you finally get the layout that really clicks for you. You pin the blocks together one block at a time, gather them up, head to the sewing machine and sew them all together. Now to sew the rows together. I lay them out again and for some reason the rows don't want to line up the way they did when you first layed them out. Some of the blocks line up with the same blocks and they just don't look right. I came up with a solution that works for me. I hope it works for you, too.

While you have your blocks layed out, as you are pinning them together, pin a strip of paper with the number of the row to the first block of each row. I sew the paper into the seam allowance so I don't lose the number. After I have all the blocks sewn together and have pressed them, it is easy to line up the rows.

It really keeps the frustration level to a minimum. Anything to makes things easier!

It's Been a Busy Summer

2011-09-08T21:25:00.000-04:00

It seems as though this summer has raced by. And I'm grateful for that because this summer's heat has been out of this world. I have been miserable. And you know I work outside. With the change in weather the last couple of days, I have been in heaven. This summer's heat has drained me physically, when I get home I am spent and can't seem to get motivated. But with this cool down, I am ready to get busy!

Thought I would share a few of my entries from the state fair this year.

There are a couple of blue ribbons in there. I'm pretty psyched about them. Thanks for looking!

Meet Ricky

2011-07-28T21:19:00.000-04:00

When I envisioned Ricky in my mind, he was a cute little mouse; a pincushion i created to be sweet and fun to enter in the state fair. Well, after I actually made him, he became a rat. So, Ricky the Rat will sit along side all the other little pincushions crying out to get his ribbon. "Pick me", he'll say as the judges make their way through all the pincushions begging for a ribbon. Maybe if he slips them some cheese he'll have a chance. Let's hope so!

A Sherbet Pips Quilt

2011-07-12T07:10:00.000-04:00

I fell in love with the sherbet pips collection. It is so sweet. I bought two charm packs and added some kona solids to come up with this darling lap quilt.

My five year old granddaughter, Ava, asked if she could have this quilt and I told her I already made a quilt for her. She said, "Grandma, when you finish it, then you'll decide who to give it to?"

I think I've decided!

Mmm, Fruit Salad

2011-07-06T16:58:00.000-04:00

Nothing like a nice colorful fruit salad in the summer. Unfortunately, it's already gone.

Another Lap Quilt

2011-06-28T21:22:00.000-04:00

Remember when I was working on this http://sewingsandy.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-latest-quilt-in-progess.html? Well, now it looks like this!

I love how it turned out. This was my first real attempt quilting with pearl cotton. It was kind of hard to sew with. But I love the results!

I used different colors for the different color blocks. After I quilted around each block with the pearl cotton, I used regular quilting thread to hand quilt through the solid squares. It turned out really nice. The quilting went pretty quickly.

It's the perfect size to snuggle under. Now, if I can just keep my daughters from trying to claim it! :)

I'm the Mail Ma'am!

2011-06-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

I have worked for the Post Office for 14 and a half years. Eleven of those years I have carried mail. Let me say that I love my job.

I am proud to wear the uniform. I love being on my own everyday and talking to my customers. I have learned so much from the people I see on my routes everyday.

This job keeps me in shape. I walk anywhere from 8 or 9 miles a day to only a mile, depending on the route I am on that day. The people on my routes are wonderful. I love getting to know them. You can learn a lot about people from the mail they get. From the magazines they get to the bills I deliver.

There are some things I don't like about my job. I'm sure everyone has some things they don't like about their job, too! I don't mind working in the winter. I like the cold weather. But the summers here in Kentucky are brutal. The humidity makes it unbearable. There is only so much water or gatorade you can drink.

I guess what I dislike most about my job is the supervision. We are not allowed to make any decisions on our own as to how to do our job. We are never asked our opinion on the best way to do the job. Someone sitting in an office somewhere makes all the decisions as to how we carry the mail. That probably isn't unusual but it sure makes it seem as if our experience and opinions aren't valued. During a meeting, it was mentioned that perhaps when making changes to routes consideration be given as to which routes to add more walking to because it is hard on our bodies over time. We were told that the P.O. didn't care about our bodies and if we were having a hard time maybe we should consider a different career.

In spite all that, I still love what I do. Can't imagine where I could work and get the benefits and pay I get without more education.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T14:02:00.001-04:00

My dad was my hero. He taught us right from wrong, honesty, and integrity. He taught us to always do the right thing even when the right thing wasn't easy. When searching for a husband of my own, I wanted someone just like my dad. He loved our mother and devoted himself to his family. He was father to six children and was our father, not our friend. He would discipline us and then tell us he loved us. He was not afraid to show affection and showed to all he loved. I am so proud to be his daughter.

In 1995 he was diagnosed with esaphageal cancer. Twenty five days later he died. He was only 67 years old. My mother was devastated. He was her life. They were married when she was only 16 years old, and were married for over 44 years. A few years later she died of a broken heart at the young age of 65. She's happy now.

Her and dad were proud of all of their children and taught us what a good marriage is. I miss them both and think of them every single day. Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

My Latest Quilt in Progess

2011-06-04T20:15:00.000-04:00

I bought some charm packs from The Connecting Thread right after Christmas on clearance. They were a real bargain. I thought I would sew the squares together to form a large lap quilt. I took several of the squares and cut them into fourths. I then took strips of white Kona cotton and added it to all four sides of these to make them into five inch sqares.

Now, I have always considered myself relatively good at math. (My DH may disagree, when it comes to balancing the checkbook.) But somehow, I really screwed up my math this time. Each block I had constructed was about a half inch too big. Each strip I had cut was two inches wide and should have been one and three quarters inches. So I had to trim each and everyone one of these blocks that ended up five and a half inches down to five inches. At least, I didn't make them too small! Other than this little hiccup, I really like how this quilt is turning out.

My New Camera Bag

2011-05-24T18:21:00.000-04:00

I got a new camera a couple of months ago. One of those dslr cameras. It's not top of the line but it does great as far as I'm concerned. I also got a macro lens to go with it. But what I didn't get was a camera bag. You really need a camera bag if you get a camera. I just didn't want to spend a lot of money on one. They can cost close to $100. More than I wanted to spend. So the best solution, make one.

I quilted the fabric and then made the bag. I put a divider in it to keep the extra lens and camera seperate. Then I made extra thick quilted padding to insert just to give the camera extra protection. I had the perfect button to add for decoration. The best part is, I didn't have to buy anything. Everything was in my stash.

My Blogger's Quilt Festival Quilt

2011-05-13T22:30:00.001-04:00

Thanks again, Amy, for bringing all of us quilters together to share our passion. I love seeing what all the other quilters have been up to this past year and visit all the other blogs.
I decided to add this fun quilt to the festival this year!

I call it "Around the Neighborhood". It was made from blocks from a swap I was in. I asked for wonky houses with a white background and bright, happy fabrics. Boy, did they come through for me! After I put the blocks together, I found the perfect fabric for the backing.

Now, I'm not too good with machine quilting, and I didn't want to take a chance with ruining it, so I hand quilted it with wavy, wonky quilting lines. And I think it was the perfect solution.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Now, I'm off to look at all these other amazing quilts on here!

Happy Quilting, Sandy

Amy, the Nurse Practioner

2011-05-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

Our beautiful daughter, Amy, graduated from nurse practioner school on April 30th.

Look at that beautiful smile!

This girl is amazing. She became an RN about seven years ago and has been working in the ER since. She loves her job and was recently named nurse of the year in the ER department and is up for nurse of the year for the whole hospital. We couldn't be more proud. A few years after she graduated she decided to go back to school to get her bachelor's in nursing. That was quite an accomplishment in itself. Amy realized she wanted more, so about two years ago she started school to be a nurse practioner. I guess she didn't have enough to keep her busy, because in the middle of all this she had another baby. That makes four kids! Wow! She is amazing! She has been working nights on the weekends, going to school and doing clinicals. Add raising four kids to the mix and I just don't know how she has done it. She is so determined. So if I sound like I'm bragging, that's because I am!

Hand or Machine Quilted - Right or Wrong

2011-04-28T15:53:00.001-04:00

I've been doing a lot of blog reading lately. So many different opinions about quilting. None right or wrong, just different. Let it be known that I was quilting when quilting wasn't cool. I love everything about it. I consider myself a traditional quilter. Most of my quilts are hand quilted. I just think it brings more authenticity to the quilt. Doesn't mean I don't admire the machine quilters and their quilts. I have done some machine quilting myself. But when I want the quilt to seem "special", or if I'm afraid I'll mess it up otherwise, I always hand quilt it. And I am not your ordinary hand quilter. I don't use a frame; I don't use a hoop and I don't use a thimble. I baste my quilts on the floor with needle and thread. I will usually thread five or six needles and go to town, basting about every six inches vertically and horizontally. The basting is tight enough that the layers do not shift. Then I quilt it in my lap. Doesn't matter what size the quilt is. I have hand quilted anywhere from baby size to king size, all in my lap. I've had many quilters tell me I wasn't doing it right. But I think the finished product speaks for itself. The largest quilt I ever made was my king size grandmother's flower garden quilt that covers my bed. I made this one "wrong", too. No paper piecing, I just hand stitched each hexie to within 1/4 inch of the end of the piece leaving enough of an opening so that the Y could open to accommodate the next interlocking hexie. Every part of that quilt was completely hand sewn. And I'm sure a lot of quilters would say I broke every rule in the quilting bible. But I think it turned out amazing. And apparently so did the quilters who grade quilts for the state fair, because it won a blue ribbon.

I guess my point in all this rambling is to say, there is no right or wrong to quilting. Whatever works for you.

So if you get a chance, wander over to my flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/15989528@N06/ and take a look at some of the quilts I've made. You will see a variety of them. Some hand sewn and others machine sewn. But each and everyone of them made me happy.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T12:04:00.000-04:00

My New Blog Header

2011-04-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to change my blog header for some time now. I just wasn't sure how to go about it. I made a mosaic of some of my projects and uploaded it to my settings. I love the new look, but am not quite sure how to shrink it so the width of it fits on the page without having to arrow over. Over all, I really like the look of it. I hope you like it, too!

Julianne's baby quilt

2011-04-10T18:58:00.002-04:00

Julianne's baby, a photo by sandyb72357 on Flickr.

For Julianne's second birthday, I thought she needed a new baby and cradle. I couldn't give her that without making a sweet little doll quilt for it. It's a miniature version of the line art quilt, I made that Amy claimed. I used leftover fabric from the jelly roll I had used. I trimmed the strips so that they finished at one inch. It turned out cute and Julianne really loved it!

A Dresden Plate Pillow

2011-04-03T17:10:00.001-04:00

I have seen so many pretty pillows on different blogs lately. And on Flickr, too. And the different dresden plate designs popping up all over have been inspirational. I love them so much.

When I decided to combine the two, my original idea was to do just the plate in the middle. I wanted my pillow to be larger than some, a whopping 18 inches. So, after I made the plate and placed it in the center of the fabric square, I decided it needed something else. I made quarter plates and put them in each corner. I had read a lot about people quilting with pearl cotton and had never tried it myself. I ordered my pearl cotton from threadart and am really thrilled with the product. I do most of my quilting by hand, so I was excited to try something new. I echo quilted around the plates and love the results. After adding jumbo rickrack around the edge and putting the pillow back together, I joined them. I made the pillow insert with fabric that I lined with batting and stuffed with fiberfill. What a cute pillow! I love this one! Hope you do to.

A Sneak Peak

2011-03-30T18:52:00.000-04:00

I started a new project. It has taken me longer than I expected, but I think it is going to be fabulous. Lots of hand applique and hand quilting in this one.

My Line Art Quilt

2011-03-12T08:43:00.001-05:00

I saw this pattern in the Quilts and More magazine. It looked simple and sweet and the perfect use of a jelly roll that I had in my stash. It really was easy to make. Just add 2 and 1/2 inch strips of white to each side of the fabric and stagger them to what looks good to you. After I had it all put together, I just quilted it 1/4 inch on each side of the seams. The jelly roll I used was one of Mary Engelbreit's. I'm not sure which one but I do love this fabric. My daughter, Amy claimed it as soon as she saw it. I think I might make a mini one from the leftovers.

The back

More Stroller Quilts (They work great with car seats, too!)

2011-01-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more stroller quilts I made. The blue one already has a special baby boy to go to. And as promised, I am going to donate one stroller quilt a month to the children's hospital's NICU. These quilts are quick and easy. No batting required since they are backed with chenille. They are trimmed in rick rack and stitched together inside out and turned. Then a simple cross hatch quilting and finished. Voila! :)

A New Years Resolution to Stash Management

2011-01-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

I have decided I have way too much fabric. Now, just because I have too much doesn't mean I want to get rid of any of it. I love fabric. I love to look at it and I love to touch it. I buy fabric that I don't have plans for. I may have ideas for it, but sometimes (well, I have to be honest, a lot of the time), the ideas don't become reality because there just isn't enough time. But I continue to add to my collection when a fabric catches my eye. I have yards and yards of fabric, jelly rolls, fat quarters and lots and lots of charm packs. So, I decided to make a New Year's resolution. No more fabric until I use what I have. Of course there are conditions to this resolution. I can get fabric to coordinate with fabric in my stash if I need it for a project. But only as a necessity. I really want to stick to this. I know it won't be easy. Especially with all those beautiful new fabrics coming out. I am really determined and I know I can do it.

Stroller Quilts for the NICU

2010-12-09T19:09:00.001-05:00

My sister is the vice president of the Children's Hospital here in Louisville. I am so proud of her. She is an amazing person and a wonderful sister. I was trying to think of something I could do for her hospital. Something that I thought could be a small gesture that might help a family going through a really tough time. I decided to make a couple of stroller quilts to donate to the NICU. The family can keep them and hopefully during the hospital stay bring a little comfort to them.

I decided to use flannel and chenille. The chenille is thick enough that batting isn't necessary. And the flannel is soft so the tiny babies can lay on them and feel comfortable. These measure about 27" x 27". I edged them with rick rack. They are the perfect size for the NICU. And later perfect for car seats or strollers. I am happy with the way they turned out and I hope some babies love them, too.

Julianne's Purse

2010-12-08T18:59:00.001-05:00

Misty asked me to make a purse for Julianne for Christmas. Juli is only 20 months old and most purses on the market are just too big. And the ones that aren't too big are just too expensive. I whipped out a special fat quarter I had been saving and knew it would be the perfect fabric for this purse. I used leftover chenille from stroller quilts to line it with. It is the perfect size and I think it turned out really sweet. I didn't have a pattern, I just winged it. What do you think?

Baby Shower Gifts

2010-11-10T01:40:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty busy lately. There was a baby shower this past weekend for a dear girl who grew up across the street from us. Erin and Misty have been best friends since they were three years old. Erin has been like a daughter to me. I have loved her like my own. Well, I just had to make her a few goodies for the shower.

A burp cloth

Onesies

The quilt

The label

Erin had a great time at her shower and got lots of baby gifts. I made some over sized receiving blankets, too. I used one of them as wrapping paper. Quite practical and the perfect size for swaddling.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

2010-10-29T17:12:00.003-04:00

My Blue Ribbon Quilt
Originally uploaded by sandyb72357

http://amyscreativeside.com/2010/10/29/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2010/
I have viewed this festival the past couple of years and haven't entered until this year. I think I am a little intimidated by all that wonderful talent out there. This year I decided to take the plunge and share my quilt.

First, I wanted to let you know how I started sewing. I was about four years old and watching my mother and next door neighbor sew. Our next door neighbor was a quilter and even at the young age of four, I knew there was something special about it. They gave me scraps and I cut the fabric and sewed little shirts for my teddy bear. I have loved sewing ever since.

When I started making quilts, I made wall hangings and baby quilts and some quilts for beds. Most of them I gave away as gifts. It seemed like whenever I started one, someone would claim it as their own. So, I got the bright idea to make one for myself. My dear husband had decided the year before we needed a kingsize bed. And I settled on the grandmother's flower garden. Well, this is one quilt that needs to be hand sewn. It took me several months to piece this quilt and about a year to complete it. Every single stitch is done by hand. From the piecing to the quilting to the binding. I am so proud of this quilt. I entered in the state fair last year and won a blue ribbon. Hubby and I sleep so good under this quilt!

Baptism

2010-10-24T13:46:00.004-04:00

What a special day we had last Sunday! Three of our granddaughters were baptized. It was such a wonderful event. The girls were so sweet and innocent in their white gowns. Ava and Julianne wore gowns I made for them. Allie wore the gown her mommy wore when she was baptized. I was so honored to have made the gowns for the girls and they were beautiful! After the party we had family and friends to our house for a party with chili, bean soup, vegetable soup and cake. We played corn hole and the kids played on the swing set. We are truly blessed!

Here are Richard and the girls outside the church after the ceremony.

I Finished my Wonky House Quilt!

2010-09-19T20:40:00.008-04:00

This is the quilt I made using blocks I got from a swap I was in. I asked my fellow swappers to make wonky houses for me using white as the background fabric and bright colors for the houses. Everything else was up to them. I think each and every house is adorable. I like the striped fabric I used for the binding. It had lots of bright colors in it. I'm so fortunate to have so many talented quilters in this swap!

A close up of some of the quilting. I wasn't quite sure how to quilt this one. I decided to do some wonky, wavy line quilting and I think it worked out great.

The back of the quilt with some extra blocks.

Here's the back of the quilt. Isn't this fabric perfect for this quilt!

My Raw Edge Circle Quilt

2010-08-26T19:53:00.003-04:00

I found the raw edge circle quilt on CluckCluckSew's blog. I think this quilt is adorable. It looks complicated but it is really easy. I had other projects I was working on when I found it, but was determined to come back to it. I had all the 1930s circa prints and found the darling fabric for the back on clearance at my local quilt shop. I'm really happy with how it turned out!

My Polka Dot Quilt

2010-07-16T18:13:00.004-04:00

I saw a quilt similiar to this one on an online craft community. Simply adorable. I bought the background fabric at JoAnn's Fabric. What is great about it is that it's a dotted swiss that is 60 inches wide. I had collected a lot of dot fabrics and thought they would work just perfectly for this. I cut circles of different sizes using different objects around the house as templates. I hand appliqued them on in a random order. No plan, just put them anywhere I thought they looked right. I pieced the back and sandwiched them together with the batting. I hand quilted around the circles in kind of a shadow quilting design. Then I pieced the binding and added it to the quilt. I think it turned out really cute. My oldest daughter, Amy is trying to con me out of this one. Of course, Kaitlyn loves it, too. Haven't decided what I'll do with it. For now just admire it.

My Wonky House Quilt

2010-05-19T17:42:00.004-04:00

This quilt is a collaboration of blocks from a swap I was in. All blocks except one were made by quilting friends from my Craftser.org I had asked everyone to make 12 1/2 in. wonky house blocks made from bright fabrics with white backgrounds so they would all be cohesive. I think it turned out great. Each one of them is absolutely perfect. I can't decide on a favorite. I think it is which ever one I am focused on at the moment.

My question is what is the best way to quilt this. Any ideas?

Allie's stroller quilt

2010-05-16T12:45:00.004-04:00

Allie needed a stroller quilt. Regular quilts are just too big for the stroller or the car seat. This one is the perfect size. It's about 27 x 27, give or take an inch. I made it from a snippets charm pack and backed it with pink chenille. No need to add batting, because the chenille is just thick enough. I added rickrack to the edges. I love it!

Of course, Misty likes it so much, she wants me to make one for Julianne. I think I'll make it from Moda's Love U.

Allie

2010-03-31T19:00:00.005-04:00

Allie with her new quilt!

Ava meets her baby sister, Allie for the first time!

We were blessed with grandbaby number six on February 2. Unlike most of the other grandbabies, Allie decided to wait til she was full term to arrive. My daughter, Amy allowed me to be in the delivery room when the baby was born. She did amazing. Amy was at the hospital less than two hours when Allie arrived. And she let me cut the cord. Allie was also Amy's biggest baby at 7 lbs. 11 oz. She is perfect!

Ticker Tape Quilt

2010-03-05T16:50:00.004-05:00

Being modeled by my sweet husband, Richard!

After the wash.

I was looking at some of these quilts on other blogs and flicker and loved the idea of the quilt being almost finished after the scraps are stitched on. Because you sew through the top fabric, batting and backing while you apply the scraps, the only thing left to do is to bind it. It's such a girly quilt. I think I'm going to hang it in Ava and Allie's new bedroom.

Kaitlyn's Whirly Giggle Quilt

2010-02-21T14:45:00.004-05:00

I promised Kaitlyn a new lap quilt that would look good in her new bedroom. She's getting a new bedroom so Ava and Allie can share a room and Kaitlyn can have a room of her own. So for Kaitlyn to get her new room, Kody had to have a room added in the basement. Kody moved into his new room last weekend. Now Kaitlyn's new room needs to be painted so she can move into it. She loves polka dots so all the fabric I used in this quilt have dots. I love the way it turned out and so did she. I added buttons to the middle of each "giggle".

Misty's Quilt

2010-01-24T12:28:00.003-05:00

This is the back of the quilt. I seem to have a problem when I download pictures on here. The second picture I download always shows up first. I'll have to figure this out. But for now, here are the photos.

Here is a quilt I made for Misty's living room. It will look great in there because she has brown walls and aqua accents. It's really simple and is like the one I made for Amy. I used charm squares and 2 1/2" strips. Misty loves it.

Kody, the Teenager!

2009-12-06T11:27:00.003-05:00

Kody turns 13 today! Hard to believe my first grandbaby is a teenager! What a great kid. He has proven over and over how great he is. He loves his sisters and does well in school. He helps his mom with yard work and Ava. He's getting lanky and clumsy and pimply and teenagery! Oh, the wonders of being young. Love this boy!

My Flower Pot Quilt

2009-10-14T16:17:00.005-04:00

I joined the quilt festival and needed to choose a quilt I wanted to share as one of my favorites. Usually my favorite quilt is the one I am working on at the time. But since they aren't finished, I chose this one. I made this quilt a couple of years ago. It was one of those that I pieced and basted and just set aside while I worked on something else. I pulled it out one day and started quilting it. It is machine pieced and hand quilted. I added a sleeve to the back and hung it in my living room. The state fair was coming up and I decided to enter it. At that time, I noticed that I hadn't quilted the border. Seemed like it needed some quilting so I added it. I think it turned out pretty good.

Richard

2009-10-04T16:32:00.003-04:00

What can I say about Richard? We have been married nearly 27 years. Not a day goes by I don't thank God for him. We have been blessed with two beautiful daughters and five grandchildren. Here he is hunting for bunny rabbits with Ben and Julianne. He recently retired from the Post Office with more than 25 years in. Now that he is retired he has time to play all the golf he wants. (Although, he did play a lot of golf before he retired.) He loves spending time with all the grandkids. He gets them riled up and when he is tired of playing he is done. Somehow the kids don't always get that he's done. He helps the girls out whenever they need it. He watches Misty's kids once a week while she works. Kody, Kaitlyn and Ava stayed with us last night while their mom was working. He helps them with plumbing or car trouble or whatever they might need.

Richard does most of the housework at home. He always lets me know how much he loves and appreciates me. I really do know how lucky I am. I am truly blessed.

Blue Ribbon Winner

2009-08-22T15:56:00.003-04:00

If you've read my blog then you know about this quilt. It's the one I made completely by hand that took me over a year to make. I decided to enter it in the state fair. I entered a quilt a couple years ago and didn't win anything. So this year my expectations were low. I mean, you should see some of the quilts people enter. Awesome! So when I entered it, I was thinking it would be nice to at least get an honorable mention. Never did I imagine I would win first place! One of my customers on my route went to the fair bright and early Thursday morning when it opened to see all the pretties. She had several items entered. Anyway, she told me my quilt won a blue ribbon, before I could get to the fair. I asked her several times if she was sure. Later that evening my grandson's other grandparents went to the fair and said it was in a glass showcase. My husband and I were planning on going Sunday, but when I found out I won, I had to go sooner. I am so proud!

Amy's Quilt

2009-08-16T19:55:00.007-04:00

Amy's living room is red and she has a lot of black and white accents in there too. I thought she would like this quilt. I made it from a charm pack I got from a swap on craftsters. I had to add a few squares of my own. I also added the black and white solids. I threw in a red block and binded it with a red polka dot. I quilted it on my machine. I normally quilt by hand but decided I would try it on the machine. It isn't great but I think it looks pretty good. Amy loves it.

Steven

2009-08-13T23:28:00.003-04:00

Time is funny. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday Steven was here calling me Mamma and giving me one of his wonderful hugs and other times it seems decades and decades ago since he was with us. Eleven years have passed and not a day goes by I don't think of him and hope he knows how much I loved him and how I never really gave up on him. I am happy he is at peace and doesn't suffer anymore. I wonder if he knows he was a hero for all the families that benefited from his death. His death didn't just change our family, it changed the lives of all the families whose loved one received one of his organs. When I think back to the memories of my son, I am not sad. I am happy for the time he was here and that he doesn't have to be here anymore. Be at peace, Steven and know that you are missed.

Memory Bears

2009-08-09T09:57:00.004-04:00

All these teddy bears where made for a friend of my daughter's, Amy. A girl she worked with father had died. She was really having a tough time of it, as would be expected. Amy told her I had made memory bears before and she volunteered me to make one for her. They are made from shirts that her dad her worn and brought back favorite memories of him. I am happy to help ease the pain of someone grieving a loss. I hadn't expected to make so many, as I do it at no cost to the recipient. However, I couldn't say no. I do think from now on I will do the first one for free and charge a small fee for any more they need. Aren't they sweet? My dad died fourteen years ago. He and my mom had been married for over forty years. Mom was really grieving for him. My sister suggested I make one of these bears for my mom. She had heard about them from a friend of hers who worked for Hospice. When Mom died four years later, my sister got the bear. I was happy she could take a bit of solace in it. Seems like a great way to honor a loved one.

Grandmother's Flower Garden

2009-08-05T11:34:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I haven't written a blog about this quilt! I have always loves this pattern. Looks so complicated but it's only one pattern piece. Before I started working on this I figured it would be simple enough. Boy was I wrong. First of all, I decided to make this quilt for me since I normally make quilts for everyone else. I wanted to make it for our bed and for some silly reason my husband had to get a kingsize bed. (He claims I have restless leg syndrome and kick him all night. However, I have yet to see that first bruise!) Anyway, of course I had to piece this beauty by hand. I know a lot of people use the paper piecing method, but not me. The more flowers I made, the more it seemed I needed. Finally after many months, I had it all pieced and ready to quilt. I tried it on my bed and it fit! Next came the quilting part. Now I am truly afraid of machine quilting. I have only dabbled in it a little bit. Of course I had to hand quilt this bad boy. First, I hand basted it. I know of lot of people like to baste with pins but for some odd reason, I still do this the old fashioned way. With needle and thread! Next came the hand quilting. I love to hand quilt. When I do this I do it in my lap. No frame, no hoop, just my lap. After months of quilting it was time for the binding. Some people may call me stubborn, but I prefer strong willed. I figured since I had pieced and quilted the entire quilt by hand, I should make and add the binding by hand too. I finished it and put it on our bed, and let me tell you, I slept really good under this quilt. A few months later, I decided to enter it in our state fair. So again, I added the sleeve to the back. (by hand) The fair is later this month. I'm kind of excited and certainly proud of this accomplishment. My fingers have developed lovely callouses because, once again, I am strong willed and do not use a thimble. I would say this quilt took me well over a year from start to finish. Of course there were many periods of time that I put it done and didn't pick it up for a while. Now, I'm getting ready to take it to the laundromat to put it in one of those triple machines to get it ready for the fair.

Ava, Ben & Their New Super Capes

2009-07-21T20:10:00.001-04:00

These little cuties are the proud owners of new super capes. You know how kids love to be super heroes? They like to tie blankets or towels on their necks so they can be the next super hero. I decided I would make them their very own super hero capes. These capes do have super powers. As soon as they put them on they instantly stop whining and start smiling and running and being super sweet grandbabies. It's easy to see that these capes were a big hit with the little ones.

St. Mark's Bascilica in Venice, Italy

2009-07-19T16:56:00.004-04:00

A few years ago, Richard and I took our first trip to Italy. (I say first because I'm really hoping to return one day!) We went on a tour with a company that knew all about the wonderful places and Bascilicas to see. This is the floor of St. Mark's Bascilica. It's not a real great picture because they don't allow flashes inside the bascilica so I had to take this without a flash. I was so inspired by this floor, I came home and got back into quilting. My plan is to one day create a quilt that mimics this beautiful floor!

Yard Sale Quilt

2009-07-04T08:22:00.003-04:00

As I was delivering the mail last Saturday, I came upon a yard sale. You know, one of those community yard sales. Now, I don't normally have time to peruse these sales, cause the mail must be delivered. But, I mean, they're right there. When I got toward the end of my route, sitting right there near the front porch, on top of a suitcase, sat this quilt, all folded up and looking lonely. I happened to have a little money on me that day, so I figured, what the heck. I asked the little old lady how much she wanted for the quilt thinking it was more than I had on me and to my suprise she said, "I was asking $25, but what do you think?" And, I thought wow! So, I offered her $20 thinking she would probably take less, but I didn't want to steal it. And she said YES! She told me a friend of hers had made it and she just didn't need it anymore. Well, to be honest, I didn't need it either, but I wanted it. So, she put it in a plastic bag and I put it in my mail bag and finished delivering that loop. I love this quilt; it was machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted. Beautiful!

2009-06-27T06:19:00.003-04:00

Julianne

Julianne is really starting to get some personality. She is definitely a momma's girl. She is at that wonderful stage when she stares so intently when you talk to her and tries to mimic your voice. And she has the most beautiful smile. I adore being a grandma!

Ben Singing and playing . 2 years old

2009-06-20T23:04:00.001-04:00

Ben Singing and playing . 2 years old
Originally uploaded by Ward G.

Quilt made in two seperate parts of the World

2009-06-04T22:16:00.006-04:00

This is a quilt I got from a post on an online crafting community I belong to. Sweet Pea decided she didn't really like the way this quilt was turning out and asked if anyone was willing to give it a good home. I pleaded my case to her and she graciously agreed to send it to me. She had already pieced it and had quilted one square of it. I just finished quilting it in the same way Sweet Pea had started and added a binding.

I think it turned out great! Ben thinks so, too. (Notice how I never miss an opportunity to showcase the grandbabies!)

Me, Ava and Kaitlyn

2009-06-01T17:57:00.002-04:00

Me, Ava and Kaitlyn
Originally uploaded by sandyb72357

Here we are. Me and two of my precious granddaughters. Ava is the little drama queen. Kaitlyn is our future model. She is such a sweet girl. She is eleven and starting middle school in the fall. That just seems crazy to me. I am so lucky that these sweeties live on the next street over. Wow, life doesn't get any better than this. We are truly blessed.

Kody, Ava and Julianne

2009-05-31T13:36:00.005-04:00

Here is Kody with his new baby cousin, Julianne. Kody is twelve and the oldest of our grandkids. He is in middle school and finishing sixth grade. He has two little sisters that look up to him. He likes skateboarding, video games and playing on the computer. He is growing up way faster than I think he should, but I guess I don't get much of a say in that. He is a real sweetheart! I am really proud of him, he is polite and well mannered. He is a good big brother and a good son and grandson. I love you, Kody!

These beautiful babies are two of my grandkids. We have five, and each one of them are absolutely darling!

Ava Grace and Julianne Marie are cousins. Ava just loves Julianne. She always wants to hold her and kiss her. She is so sweet and gentle with her it makes me feel so good watching her. She found this little elephant rattle and wanted to share it with Julianne. Julianne was intrigued.

Pinwheel Baby Quilt

2009-05-13T14:07:00.004-04:00

When I found this pattern for this baby quilt, I knew I had to make it. It is from McCalls by Eleanor Burns. I made it with retro fabrics to give it an old time feel. I added the yoyos. The original pattern had just plain white squares but I thought they needed something. And I like the way it turned out. I just happen to know a brand new baby girl who's momma will love this quilt. In fact, my oldest daughter has put in an order for one of these in a lap size. I pieced it by machine and quilted it by hand. I am just not brave enough to try machine quilting yet. Think I need to practice on something small and insignificant. Anyway, I love the finished product here.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T09:27:00.003-04:00

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's and all the ones who make them mothers! It has been nearly ten years since I lost my mother and not a day goes by I don't think of her. She was a stay at home mom back when it was the the "popular" thing to do. She raised six kids on one salary and one car. No microwave, computer or cell phones. No cable TV, no video games or VCRs. I wonder how she did it. Life was much simpler then. Plenty of kids in the neighborhood to play with. No sitting in the house all summer. We played outside until the streetlight came on and didn't want to come in then. In the winter, on snow days, we sledded on the neighborhood hill and had to be told to come in because we were too cold. Mom was always home when we got home from school. She always cooked our breakfast in the morning before school and our supper was served at 5:00 everyday. We had structure in our life and discipline when we needed it. Thanks Mom, for all the memories and all the love you gave us! I miss you!

Let's strip swap

2009-05-08T21:23:00.004-04:00

I joined a swap on one of the online craft communities. This swap was kind of unique. Each participant made strips that were 44 inches long and 12 1/2 inches wide with at least four different fabrics. We mailed out to five different people, fabrics of our choice. What's really fun about it, is, we make a quilt top using these strips and post them on the site. We all vote and the winner gets a fat quarter from everyone else. It's going to be fun to see what everyone comes up with. These are the strips I got from everyone. I'm ready to get started but I have to come up with my own unique design. I need to let my creative juices flow.

2009-04-22T22:26:00.003-04:00

Today is the day Julianne was due. She was two weeks old yesterday and went for a check up. Not quite back to her birth weight, so mom has to supplement with an ounce of formula after each time she nurses. She is doing well; it has been a challenge to find a bottle she will drink from. She is a wonderful addition to our family. We are truly blessed.

Beautiful Babies!

2009-04-11T10:53:00.001-04:00

Can you tell the difference? No doubt these babies are brother and sister. Both pictures were taken in the hospital. The main difference is the hat. Ben and Julianne look so much alike!

2009-04-11T08:36:00.003-04:00

Welcome Julianne Marie! Misty delivered her via unplanned c-section, April 7th at 10:23 am. She weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. and is 19 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing well! They came home yesterday with a bili lamp. Big brother Ben loves his new baby sister!

2009-03-26T23:47:00.003-04:00

Here's our beautiful daughter, Amy. Doesn't she look cute with her new hairdo. I think it really suits her. Amy is in school to become a nurse practitioner. She is an RN and works in the ER on the weekends. She has blessed us with three absolutely, adorable, wonderful grandchildren. I hope she knows how proud we are of her. Her independence and talent for working hard for what she wants make her a special person. Good Job, Amy. We love you!

2009-03-23T18:05:00.004-04:00

Here's Misty. Thirty-five weeks in this picture. And baby Julianne is breech. So Misty is trying to decide if she wants the doctor to try to turn her or schedule a C-section. There's always that slight chance that she will turn on her own. The thought of a C-section makes her concerned because of the recovery period. If she didn't have Ben already, I don't think it would worry her so much. It's been a really rough pregnancy but the baby has done well. Wonder when baby will get here. We're excited to meet you Julianne!

2009-03-21T20:21:00.004-04:00

Here I am having "a cute as can be day"! It was a beautiful day and I was looking especially cute that day so I didn't want to let this cuteness get away. I took this pic myself with my camera set on timer. At least I thought it was a cute day, until I noticed my big belly in this shot. I guess this is what happens when you're off work for eight weeks. Hopefully, starting Monday when I go back to work, I'll start losing this extra flab.

2009-03-20T18:46:00.005-04:00

Saturday, one of the local quilt shops was having a sale on their fat quarters. When, I got there it seemed like all the shoppers were on a mission. They had a plan and they were sticking to it. When you walked in the door, one of the ladies who work there met you at the door and handed you a shopping bag to load. Me, I had no plan. I had no projects in mind. I was just there with a shopping bag and a pocketbook with a little cash in it. Once I started gathering up the fabrics, it looked like there actually was a rhyme behind my reason. I gathered a few retro pieces and some oddball pieces and just started jamming them in the bag. By the time I finished, I had thirty-five fqs. I love each and everyone of them. I still am not sure what I'm going to use them for, but whatever I do, I think I'll be happy

Whirly Giggle

2009-03-06T20:48:00.005-05:00

Whirly Giggle
Originally uploaded by sandyb72357

Here's what I decided to do with those dot fabrics I've been collecting. I saw this quilt and tutorial for this quilt on blogger. I love the simplicity of it and the whimsy, too. Can you find the block I made that is different? I like to throw in an oddball block in all my quilts. This one is for my sweet granddaughter, Kaitlyn. She wants her bedroom done with dots so I thought this would be perfect. Now, I just need to quilt it!

2009-03-05T18:22:00.004-05:00

Wow! What a day! Ben was a little wild man this morning. I went to the OB with Misty for her appointment and it's a good thing I did. We were there for two hours. Dr. wanted to make sure the baby was growing so he wanted an ultrasound. So we waited and waited. Poor little Ben, he did really good being confined to his stroller for about an hour and ten minutes, then he needed up. Did you know two year olds can run fast? I mean really, really fast! As soon as he got the opportunity, he was down the hall and checking into the surgery scheduler. He did not want to be held. He did not want to sit in his stroller, he did not want to do anything but run. Finally, we went back for the ultrasound and he was not one bit excited to see his baby sister on the computer screen. By the way, baby is fine. At 33 weeks she is measuring 4 lbs. and 5 oz., up from 3 lbs. 6 oz. just two weeks ago.
After we left the Dr.'s office we went to lunch and headed to BabiesRUs. On the ride home, I looked back at him in his carseat and his eyes rolled back and the next thing you know he was snoring! I wanted to join him but I was driving. All in all, considering how long he had to be restrained, I thought he did really good.

2009-03-03T15:02:00.003-05:00

I love dot fabric. I have been considering what I should make with these wonderful fabrics. The more I see them the more I love them. And the more dot fabrics I need.

Julianne's Room

2009-02-23T16:07:00.006-05:00

My daughter, Misty, is expecting a baby girl in April. This is her second baby, she already has a two year old, Ben. She asked me to make the bedding and window treatments for the baby's room. I am pretty proud of the way the room turned out and I know Misty loves it, too. She says she goes in there and just stares at it. I still have a few things to finish up and then it will just be waiting for Julianne to join it!

2009-02-22T20:15:00.006-05:00

I've been reading a lot of different blogs on here. Especially, the ones by quilters. It's amazing the amount of talent there is out there. I love quilts. I have made several of all different sizes and styles. I think the ones I am most proud of our the ones I have made completely by hand. Like the grandmothers flower garden I finished about a month ago. Wow, that was labor intensive. But, you can't imagine the pride I feel every time I look at it. It took me over a year to piece it and quilt it but, hey it is king size, so I think that's pretty good.

2009-02-19T21:51:00.002-05:00

So, I've been trying to start this blog for a while now. Not real sure what I'm doing, but I will keep trying til I get it right.