Just a few things to add :)

So, I got my Starflowers done

And BRACE YOURSELF...

Dragon fly

Flower pots

Tree

My first attemt at embroidery!!! Sorry about the wonky pis! It is still in the hoop and I did not want to have to wriggle it back in there! LOL I just started on the tree last night and I think I will take  this with me when I camp this weekend! YA! It is part of the Clover & Violet QAL I know they did the blocks and then the embroidery, But I know that my Applique blocks 'shrink' and I did not want that to happen to these! So, I did the stitchin first and will go back and sew blocks later! Plus, I have not decided on what two colours I want to use! So, I will wait for inspiration from the centers! I will take better pics once I get them done and ironed and all! But you get the idea! :)

Well, I have packages that I have to finish getting ready and they WILL go out today!

I also have laundry, packing, and I think I might get to stitch while kids sleep!
Have a great weekend! I am camping and enjoying the WONDERFUL weather!!!
Josie

So now to figure out where I am!

Honeyman's finished top

OK get out the check list...
Honeyman's top DONE!!

Name Game Swap DONE


Now onto the monthly swaps
Feb:
Bee Creative 2012
   it is my month to host so I am waiting till I get the others in to decide what pinwheel to do... so not really done there and won't be done till I get them all in
 

We Bee Learning Feb Block

We Bee Learning (for Shilo)
 DONE and went out in the mail Monday

Comfort Quilts Feb Blocks

Comfort Quilts Swap: (for Angie)
Done (very early in the month and already in her hot little hands)


Swaps for Feb DONE and all in the mail (or at destination)

Feb Blogger BOM

Feb Bloggers BOM
DONE!!



OK I think that brings me all caught up and ready for March, but wait what is that you say it is not yet March! Fooey with the calendar!!
All right here we go

Right...

WRONG!!!

March:
Bee Creative 2012: (for Margaret) DONE!! twice as a matter of a fact I whooped this bad boy up in no time and when I got done I realized I had done it back @$$ words! OOPS!! Honeyman calls the wrong one a 'Where's Waldo Block'! I did another (right this time)  and I sent them both to her! If she chooses to use it in the same quilt so be it! If she wants to rip it apart and correct it more power to her! I goofed she gains!! LOL

March Comroft Quilts

Comfort Quilts: ( for Lisa) DONE
Not in the mail I just finished them yesterday but can I say I L-O-V-E this pattern! I might just have to try doing a whole quilt in it! I will get it in the mail at the end of the week, with the two other packages that have to go out!

We Bee Learning: (for Brandie)
OK not done with this one! Give me a break she just posted what she wants! LOL WONKY STARS! I LOVE IT!! I putted all of the material for it yesterday and will do those up today! I am ubber psyched about the wonky stars! I just hope I do her proud!!

Three inch wonky stars!!

I hope I did her proud!!

UPDATE:
 A big finish this morning and I thought I would add it in here! It is true I am off my rocker!!
You see those little guys.... they are 3 inch wonky stars! I sure hope you like it Brandie!! LOL
I even cracked open my Salt Air Charm pack!!!

Oh, I am also in another charm square swap and have two of my three colours cut up and have to get those out by the end of the week as well! so today: 1) charm squares 2) wonky stars and then... is it April yet???

I know, I know I threw a LOT of stuff into one post! I hope y'all followed me all the way through!!
Have a happy and productive day!!
Josie

If I go MIA...

Well here I am cursing under my breath... at whoever started this madness. (I did find out it is a Thimble Blossoms pattern by Camille Roskelley) Well, If anyone remember the material I bought for Honeyman's quilt... well, the more I looked at the squares I wanted to do, the more I decided they were NOT right... reason one, they are five or ten inch squares and I had bought quarter yard of most of the materials. Now I could have sized it down to four inch, but then I would once again get into it being to small. That and I did one of the squares with four inch squares and once it was put together...I no longer liked it!! LOL!! OK this being said, I am going to set a swoon on fire!! I have recalculated the 'pattern'(my block was only 16 inches and it should have been 24 oops!) and that means the center square is six inches... PERFECT for the 'window' material I bought!!
Now my partial woe! I decided I wanted Kona Light Grey for the background. I went to BOTH of our local Hancock Fabrics (last night) and do you know neither of them had ANY grey solid! In Kona or Wendover. Well I tell you Honeyman is on shift today so it is going to be a day of cutting and getting started so you know I did not want to wait for a package!! Well I went to JoAnn's and they had two bolts of the Med Grey. There was not six yards between the two bolts and it was in three pieces. I did have a half off coupon and since I am using it in a quilt and will be cutting it up anyway I think  the smaller pieces will be OK. It was NOT the colour I had wanted, but I think it will work fine!
Here goes all, I am jumping into a project and I do have a tenancy of getting lost for a while! So if I have not been heard form for a few days... someone be sure to throw a piece of meat into my cage!! LOL!!
I am off to swoon!!
JoCrazyMama

All right who started this madness??

I gave in! I swooned!! I don't who the pattern is from. I did not use one. Of course I guess if I had read a little bit about this block first I would have realized that it is supposed to be a 24 inch block... mine is 16 inches. Maybe I will do up another that is 24 and see if I like it! I am still not sold on the block! There for I am not even sure what I am going to do with this one! LOL Thats all I have to say about that!!!

Have a great day all!!
Josie

FMQ Challenge Feb

first attempt

OK, so I really really LOVE the look of feathering!! I am getting a little better, I think! LOL I did three different ones! The first one I did and could not figure out why mine looked so funny! Well silly me I had not done them 'tear drop' shaped! So I think it looks like butterflies on crack! he he!

Take 2!

Close up of #2

#2

 I still have to work on keeping my lines a little more steady! and not clustering the 'vines' so much! But I think if it was in more of a neutral colour it really wouldn't look quite as bad. I was much more pleased with my tension this time around and I think I will try this again this weekend to see if I can steady my hand a little more,

My Lillian loved what I was doing so my third one I put a border on added her name and gave it to her! She was pleased with the results! LOL Bless that little girl!!

Still trying,
Josie

I finished something!!

Front

Well it is my VERY FIRST EVER DONE PROJECT!!! YUP!! Till now I have only been a piecer! Well for the first several months of this journey I had only worked on Jane pieces! So, I did not branch out to other things till well, till I started doing the QuiltUberFest!! (that was in October) So! I had participated in a fall fabric swap and I pulled out some of them and used a disappearing nine patch pattern. I didn't really use a pattern I just kind of winged it! LOL! 
I am also not very comfortable with my FMQ skills so I just did simple lines!

Close Up

 When I was done with it my dear son asked what it was for! I said nothing and he was confused! Oh, well! He actually likes the back better than the front! And to be truthful I am kind of that simple gal myself! I know, I know it is blue! But to be honest because I was only doing this ad a just because and had no real plan for it this was the material I had an abundance of! So that is what I used! I do like the combo of colours! even if the back is blue! I will find the right person who will like it!


I like a little something on the back and don't want it to be just plain material so I did a coin strip down the center of the back! I like it!

Back

This and that on a Saturday morning

Had a great night last night with the gals from my Quilt Guild. I belong to the Mississippi Valley Quilt guild and we are 'divided' into groups, cliques if you will, and I am in the 'Next Generation Quilters'. I know part of it is because I am a newbie, but I think these gals think I am younger than what I am! I made a comment (about Jane you ignorant....) and NONE of them knew what I was talking about!! LOL
Anywhooo, we sat and stitched from about 6 till almost 11!! However my mouth moved faster than my fingers and I did not get my block stitched LOL! Oh well, it was great to get out of the house!
We had a new gal who had never sewn before and Stephanie is a great teacher! She had Alissa making a table runner and practicing on 5" squares and Alissa got the whole thing done and quilted last night! She was a natural and a very fast learner!! And she did a great job!!!!  So, of course my nose was in there and I just can't keep my mouth shut as I am a very hands on person as well and I do hope I didn't step on Stephanie's toes! I know I can be 'abasive' oops!! It is my type A personality shooting out of my mouth! But they all seem very patient with me! LOL
No pretty pictures today, I think I am going to stay home and ... I don't know! Lazy day here!! he he!
Have a great weekend all!!

Josie


OK alright one pic!! Honeyman and I went to Niagara July of 2010 so I could use my newly acquired Pass Port and for the first time EVER go out of the country!! Weather was Beautiful and I am just needing some warmth to get me through this cold snap!! It snowed again last night!! ggrrr is is spring yet???

Going cross eyed and procrastination...

So, I tell you I have been procrastinating just a little bit... ask me why, please, please! OK I'll tell you!! last week (Tuesday) Honeyman ordered me a new sewing machine!!! We ordered it form Amazon and it did not ship till TODAY!!! I am not happy about that! I contacted them on Sunday to find out why it was still listed as 'shiping soon' because it was from them , not an outside seller, and their stuff normally ships in 2-3 days! They had no explanation for it either!! Well it went out today and will be here tomorrow! Oh, what did I get you ask... I got a Brother XR 9000!! The price on there now is like $250, but last week it was $160!! Ya sales! So I have been itching to use it and UPS cannot come to my door fast enough on Wed!!!

pinwheels

Sashings

I have been doing a little here and there! Remember Twisted Sister, well I finished up here sashing last night and am going to be putting them on today! OK everyone did you feel the earth shake... I made flying #?*!@!^ geese! yes, it is true! And I still have to say I am no good at them! They will pass for now and practice, practice, practice and all that jazz... of my soap box! Well you know what I do when I have all those little triangles left!! YUP!! a million bajillion 2 1/2 inch pinwheel blocks! Not sure what I am going to do with them (I used a few of them in the sashing for extra inches and have ten of them left over. Oh, why am I cross eyed, I was a very good girl and sat and picked out the stitches on the back of those darn pinwheels so they would lay flatter! and I must say, it really does make a difference, but white thread on white material even with the light from my Ottlight it was work! I did twenty pinwheels altogether! LAST NIGHT!!!!
So I do hope that my post Wed (or maybe I will wait till I have played with my machine and get on on Thursday) I will be ooh, la, laing all about my new toy! I love my Honeyman!!!
Happy Quilting!
Josie

Not just one... but two!!

November

All caught up on one of my BOM's!! YAY! or BOOOO Now I have to wait till the 25th to get the January Pattern :( !!! Darn BOM's They suck you in hurry up and wait!! LOL

December

  November has to be my favorite so far!! It is from Stephanie Dunphy - Loft Creations If I had it to do again... wait for it... I would do flying geese for the sides instead of HST! I know that from me right!!  (Oh, looking at these pics... Ireally need to wash and/or replace my oroning board eww it's gross!! LOL)



OK December is from Pat Sloan - The Voice Of Quilting.Whos idea were those teeny tiny squares! LOL There was a LOT of pinning involved in these little buggers!! And I think there is a little flesh imbeded in the back!! HEHE!! OK now onto the next catch up! hhmmmm what fabric to use??? Thanks for following my rantings!!
Josie

Getting caught up

September

So, I have all these little linky guys over on my side bar! No they are not just there because they are cute! I really am going to do them!! LOL Well I started with my Canton Village Quilt Works Blogger BOM I have gotten September and October done!! Yay me! I have the next one cut out and hope to get those done Tuesday!!

October

EXXTRA!!!

Each block is 8 1/2 inches unfinished (8 inch finished) so I did do two of each and plan to continue this! I am doing each one to coordinate with the other, not match! I am silly this way! LOL
           I did the silly flying geese (and we all know how I LOVE those... not) and there are all of these little triangles left over! So what do I do with these I asked myself! I could not find it in me to throw them away! That is a LOT of waste!! So I made tiny pinwheels!! Oh, and notice the teal and white material that I used on Mrs. Pickles Amish Diamond Block well I must have REALLY liked it becaues I had purchased most of my teal and brown material last October (or November) and as I was straightening my stash (and putting away my material that came from Connecting threads Saturday) I found another cut of it!! LOL I crack me up!!
OK enough for now! More Tuesday!! I think Sunday and Monday were very productive days! I got all of my material out of boxes and organized, I got all of these blocks done, and I wrote down what I have to finish (or catch up on!! I am getting there!
Blessed day!!
Josie

FMQ Challenge Jan

First Sammy!!

 OK, so I have never done any FMQ (Free-Motion Quilting). I have done a little stitch in the ditch and a little straight stitching on small projects. Sew when SewCalGal decided to have a FMQ Challenge I said ummmm yes! Of course I will do something to improve, or in my case learn a new technique!! Sew Jan has come and here we are! I have to tell you mine is NOT pretty!! And it has reitterated the fact that I cannot draw!! hehe But you know I will keep trying and someday I might get a little better!  OK maybe squint and look at the screen and they might look a little, I don't know, blurrier anyway!! LOL

To the right is my first quilt sammy.  This is the front I got slap happy and tried doing little 'flowers' just to keep it real and because I am a nut that way!

Back of sammy 1

I had A LOT of tension problems with my machine on the  first sammy.  I adjusted it as I went along and did eventually get it to where it should be. My little machine DID NOT like doing this!! My feed dogs don't go down, instead there is a plate that goes over them, but then you can't put the presser foot down. Well I guess you could, but they you can't move the material! Trust me I tried! LOL

Front of sammy

 By the time I got to sammy 2 I was getting a better hang of it! I know my leaves are, well to be honest misshapen, but that is how I draw as well!! And let's not mention the crazy flower that is in the middle here! Hey, Honeyman was watching his stupid fooseball (football, I am not a fan sorry) so I was getting a little silly with my machine!! I informed him that my next machine will have #1 the button to keep the needle in the down position, #2 the abibity to put the feed dogs down and #3 well I don't know what else I want, but it will be a nice machine!! hehe! I am not complaining about my machine! I have one! That is better than nothing! But a girl can dream, right!!

Back of sammy 2

What kind of machine do you sew/quilt on?? I am always interested in knowing! Did you switch from one to another and like one better than the other?? These are all questions I am here to get answered!! Ok Back to my sammys I am so easily distracted! To the left is the back of my second sammy. Much better tension, there are a few places that I obviously hesitated and got little knots. I know that with more practice (oh, and taking my foot off of the gas pedal, hello) I will get better at this! I call last nights work a success!! I tried something new! I am no pro at it, but I didn't become a floutist extrordinare or a vocal phenom over night!! LOL (I really do sing and play the flute and sax but that's another story)

So I leave you with a few little flowers I did at the end just because! Thanks for visiting!! And being true with me!!hehe! It is all about learning something new every day! If you have not checked out SewCalGal and her Challenge... do it!! I think it is a great way to learn! Have a blessed Sunday!
Josie

Mrs. Pickles' Amish Diamonds Block

I LOVE working with black! Can I say that!!

Done with my other block for my other swap! I had to hide it away from my son who is in love with this block! (Honeyman also took a real shine to it) I have to keep it real and tell you I had to rip out the little center guy because I don't know what I was thinking I cut him at an angle and well that just would not do! So Pick you are going to be getting a stray piece in there! Surprise!! It was my goof! Not that I can not use the extra piece, but ya'll know I bought enough material I could make more of these!!

Siggy block over there, too!

I did not know what size the center block was and did not realize he would be that small in there, but I do love this little guy!
I do so hope he is well loved! (what am I saying who wouldn't love him! LOL)
Had a great time working on this block! Went together very easily (after my one goof)!
Have a splendid day!!
Josie

January Bee Creative 2012

My bee is in full swing and Laura chose a ... challenge for the first block! We are doing a Union Jack. I have finished mine and will send it out on Monday! I have to go today to get teal for Mrs. Pickles block. I have blue, but nothing I like for her block! So off to the store I go today while Honeyman is watching Football (darn fooseball LOL)

Extreem close up!!!

Laura gave us freedom to use whatever colours we wanted! I think I am on an Easter/spring kick! I call mine Jack on Crack!

Siggy Block

Ready to go!!

I had a great time working on this block and challenging myself with paper pieceing! Thanks Laura for choosing something I would not have chosen myself! I think this makes for a successful swap! It is all about growing as a quilter!!
Have a blessed day,
Josie

Twisted Sister

Went crazy over the holidays buying fabric! Really I had gotten money from a friend as a gift and this is normally a bad thing because I had a habit of spending it on things NOT for me! But this time.... nope spent it all on me! I went to JoAnn's and Hancock and bought fabric, batting, and my BIG purchase was an OttLight. This one is regularly 79.99 but it was half off and I had a coupon for $5 off of a $35 purchase! So I feel like I stole it from them! YES! And I have to say the room I work in has horrible lighting and I LOVE this light!! plus it has an extra outlet in the back of it (who doesn't need an extra) and it folds up all compact, the cord wraps up nicely in it,  and has a handle to tote it. Who wouldn't love those features!! Ok done with my soap box and onto my work hehe!

Cut and prep

I bought this material that was VERY on sale and I loved the bright colours! I was not sure what I was going to use it for and a while back I had bought a jelly roll book! So.... strip I did!! LOL They are very busy materials, so it did not quite take on the look of the on in the book. That one was made with all burgundy and tan materials, so there was a LOT of contrast. but I like the kind of wacky way mine went together.

Just a hint

It was a very simple pattern. just sewing the strips together and cutting squares and then cutting them in half and sewing them back together! Honeyman kept asking why I was cutting apart after I had already sewn. He is so funny! Also asking what I was making it for! Well heck if I know! I was making it because I like the pattern, I bought 1/4 yard of each of the fabrics and only paid $.25 for each cut! Why the heck not! It is like practicing!

The book calls for a simple white 2 inch border, but I think I want more than that. So I am kind of stuck with what to do next. This kind of looks like the easter bunny threw up, so maybe I will see if I can't find an easter print! Or I might just go back to the store and, wait for it, buy more material! ha! OK twist my arm I might just do that anyway! The pattern was called Playmates, but I might (if I can get it finished) use this as a donation for a friend who is having a benefit for her sister who is going through chemo for breast cancer. So I thought Twister Sister sounded better! I am a nut I know it!
What are you working on? Today I am finishing up my two blocks for the swaps I am in! Finish it up Friday, right!! have a great weekend!
Josie

Burried Treasures!!

Ok So I am gonna hit you hard and fast with LOTS and LOTS of pics! I was so sad to walk into my Mother's sewing room. I would not bring myself to take a pic because it was such a mess. But that works to my advantage because my Sister will NEVER know that there are things missing! I made sure I kept my treasures to things I knew my mother had purchased or made!
OK ready set...

Mom was not a Quilter, she was a seamstress. She only ever finished three full sized quilts. A dinosaur one for my oldest daughter. A green one that was on her bed (and is now destroyed because my sister took it to the basement to wash it and left it down there and it mildewed and fell apart) and this one!! This one she made for my Lillian with Kitty Cucumber material!! I was with her when she bought the material but till I was going through her sewing room I did not realize she had completed it!!  It was probably the best treasure of all a gift for my Lillian! However my son (who is holding the quilt up for me) was not as lucky. I found the bag with the material she had begun to purchase to make his quilt. Nothing had been cut and she was not finished finding just the right material. I guess I will have my work cut out for me to live up to what Mom would have done!!

There is probably 6 or 7 yards of the yellow material. And who knows there may have been another coordinating bag somewhere else! But if I know my Mother they would have all been together. She may not have been ALL together, but she did keep projects in one bag or box (but usually bags!!)

OK have to be honest and tell you I have no clue what this was for, but it was in a bag with some of the leftover Kitty Cucumber so I took it! There is a good amount of it and I think I like it! Although it does not really look like something Mom would have gotten! I might find a use for it!

I do however know these! The Yellow one is a feed sack from my Grandmother's house! I have a Bag made out of the only other large feedsack we took from there! And I am the one who snagged them up for her!! I just loved these fabrics! THEY remind me of her!!

Mom love two holidays Christmas and Halloween!! I wish that these four materials had showed up better, but they are to cute! There are three black prints the one on top came out OK the other two have ghosts like the white one and cobwebs, but they are in a rainbow metalic! Pretty cool! Oh and I will just let the Christmas speak for itself!! I only took a little!!

And finally in the bag with Darien's material there was a VERY LARGE piece of material! I figured it was just a big piece with maybe a few others rolled in the middle! BOY was I surprised!!

 The Cat print in the back has enough material for probably a queen sized quilt! That was the bulk of it! There were the other two materilas here (the dark one on the side is kind of a batic looking material but did not photo well). So then I pull out directions in my Mother's handwriting and there were a few other papers with it on construction. and in the bottom it looked like there was jsut a piece of musiln. Now I did not pull these things out till I got home! I had very limited time (and it was HOT up there)

There were all six of them that she had mapped out. finished! One has a small stain on the fabric, but I am hoping that with a little elbow grease and fancy cutting I can work around that!! And I just have to say I had to flip them over a couple of times to figure out what was the front and what was the back! Oh the craftsmanship!! She had such a wonderful hand!! I do think the cats look a little crosseyed but My Honeyman says it adds to the charachter of the cat!!

Crosseyed Kitty!!

I have stowed them away in a safe place so Hagatha will not find them if she comes over to my house! I know it sounds horrible, but I also know they are in a better place!!
Hope you find treasures, too!!
J