On Pins and Needles

Christmas Break crafting....Rag Dolls!!

2012-01-01T22:14:00.000-05:00

I have always admired the dolls made by Nicole Ross Ellison. She has made her patterns available on her website. I bought three of them for myself, and have made a doll.

Isn't she cute?

And here she is looking over the pieces for her brothers and sisters. I am making six more!

Halloween Atlanta Style

2011-12-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

Here I am with some pretty ladies at the Little Five Points Halloween Parade and Festival in Little Five Points (Atlanta.) My friend's husband is in the band Southern Gothic Revival, and they were playing on stage. It was a really fun day. If you love Halloween, you would love Halloween in LFP!

Christmas Time is Near

2011-12-13T00:15:00.000-05:00

Here we are, my kids and I. We were posing for Christmas card pictures. It has been a busy year. My daughter was in a local production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and I was part of the wardrobe department for the play. Then another play, and now another. It is fun, but is taking away from quilting time. Maybe over the holidays I can do more posting, there is so much to talk about! Have a wonderful holiday season!

Flowers!!!!

2011-06-17T02:00:00.000-04:00

I have a new flower bed this year, and I have had so much fun filling it up. Did you know that you can go to Lowe's, or whatever home improvement store you have with a large gardening center, and that they have a clearance plant center? These are nearly dead, or sometimes just a little ragged, plants that are drastically maked down to clearance prices. I have filled my bed with plants either grown from seed or obtained from the clearance area and brought back to life with water and Miracle Gro. Here are some photos:

I have vegetables, herbs, and flowers all together in my little garden. We are already enjoying cucumbers, onions, basil, thyme, rosemary, dill, oregano, chives, and on and on... I love walking out my front door and picking something to put into a recipe. Wonderful!!

Julie

Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop

2011-03-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

I fell in love with this quilt on the porch at Little Quilts in Atlanta (Marietta actually). I can't believe I forgot to bring my camera, or I would have had so many neat pictures. I took this one with my phone. The GAQSH includes 11 shops. I only drove up Saturday afternoon and was able to hit four shops. I wish I had done more, and maybe next year I will. I actually did the whole hop the first year they had it, and haven't done another one since. With two kids it was just too much to ask of them to visit all those quilt shops, and it was too much to ask anyone to keep them for me for all those days. Maybe they are old enough now, at 14 and 12, that I can freely hop again. :0)

I hit my favorite shops first. Little Quilts, Red Hen, Tiny Stitches, and then a new one - Stitch 'n Quilt in Mableton. It was a really nice shop and the ladies in there were laughing and having the best time. My kind of shop! Of course, I can never go wrong with my old favorites. Little Quilts has some nice primitive items, needlepunch, wool, rug hooking, plus loads of fabric. Red Hen is just great! Tiny Stitches is too. I guess my all-around favorite is Little Quilts, but it is really hard to choose.

I enjoyed my weekend, but didn't get a bit of sewing done. Oh well, maybe next time!

Julie

Even More Washington, D.C. Photos - My Son's School Trip

2011-03-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

The Lincoln Memorial

My son in front of the Lincoln statue, (which is inside the building.)

The Lincoln Statue again

Looking across at the Vietnam Memorial Wall - a very moving experience.

Another shot of the Vietnam Memorial Wall

I think this is Vietnam too.

He had a great time!

Give Away at Mother's Cupboard

2011-03-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

Hop over to Mother's Cupboard for a chance to win her fantastic giveaway. You can find out more by visiting her blog, but it includes a a Super Dooper Give Away of 2 "Fresh Cotton" by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda Charm Packs, and 1 meter of the lovely fabric below. Good luck!

Julie

More Washington Photos

2011-03-20T23:42:00.001-04:00

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The United States Capitol Building

A closer view of the dome

The inside of the dome

Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington, (this is actually in Virginia.)

A friend and my son at Mt. Vernon

I am not sure, but I think this must be where George Washington is buried.

Wax figure of George Washington

No, my son did not carve this. It was already there, so he took a picture of it. :0)

Julie

Beautiful Moon Tonight!

2011-03-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

I couldn't get a good shot of the moon, but here is one taken by a friend of mine, Jason. It was truly gorgeous.

Today I planted onions to go along with the rosemary, tomatoes, and sweet peas that I had already planted. I hope we don't have another cold snap this year. If we do I will have to cover everything up with sheets. I have little seedlings of basil, dill, chives, parsley, cilantro, zinnias, cleome, rooster spur pepper, and Jerusalem cherries. I am going to keep them in their little pots until after Easter, when I can be sure there will be no more frost. It was so hot outside today that I spent the rest of the day lying around watching TV feeling exhausted. Maybe tomorrow I can finally get the grass cut.

Julie

Civil War Giveaway

2011-03-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

Pop over to Such a Sew and Sew's blog to enter this giveaway. I love these fabrics!! Julie

Some Pictures from Washington, D.C.

2011-03-17T01:04:00.000-04:00

My son went to Washington D.C. and New York City for a school trip. He took some fantastic photos, I think we may have discovered a talent there. Here are some photos to enjoy. I will add more in the next few days. this first is the Jefferson Memorial.

The White House

The Washington Monument.

Here he is in front of the White House.

The National Cathedral

Another shot of the National Cathedral. I love this one.

Lincoln Memorial

National Archives

A statue of Albert Einstein.

I hope you enjoyed these. He took nearly 300 photos, I plan to share many more. Stay tuned!
Julie

My Hometown

2011-03-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

I was driving by and saw this sign one day this week at our local library. I drove all the way home and got my camera so that I could drive back and take a picture. I just had to share. I think it speaks for itself, don't you?
So, what do you think? Would you like dessert?
Julie

Quilt Show in Atlanta

2011-03-12T22:40:00.000-05:00

Today my friend Jung and I met our mutual friend Karen at the Sewing and Quilt Expo at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. I was not so much into the regular sewing part. However, the quilting parts were fun. I found a booth with wool, wool kits, punchneedle patterns and supplies - sort of like heaven. I took some photos of quilts on display, only to be told by one of the white-gloved ladies that I wasn't supposed to be taking photos. She made me delete the one she saw me take! She didn't see me take the others before that. I did not delete them, but I won't post them since I am not supposed to have them. I am just going to keep them here on my computer for my own enjoyment. I certainly am not going to copy any of the work. I guess I should have known not to photograph them, but I just wasn't thinking....

My thoughts are with the people of Japan as they deal with the aftermath of this horrible earthquake. I hope the nuclear plants will not be as big a problem as we fear.

Easy Rider

2011-03-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

I know this is kind of random, but I wanted to share this photo. This is my brother with the motorcycle that Peter Fonda rode in Easy Rider. Don't you just love it?

Beach Picture Quilt

2011-03-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

I used to have a sister-in-law that lived in Naples, Florida. She hinted that she wanted a wall hanging like this one that she saw in a quilt shop. I made it for her. She hung it in her house for a few months, then took it down, putting it in storage, because she redecorated. I had to ask her to take it out of storage so I could photograph it. It is one of the big reasons that I don't give many quilts away. On the other hand, the quilts that I have made for friends who were dealing with serious illness are cherished. One person even had his quilt instead of a floral spray on his casket when he died. That was touching. Those are the kinds of quilts I like to give away.
Julie

English Paper Piecing Tutorial, Part II

2011-02-27T22:53:00.000-05:00

Now we will begin to sew one block unit. We begin with two diamonds, held right sides together. I have a dark and a medium one here. You will need to pay attention to the placement of darks, mediums, and lights. By the way, I was still in my pajamas as I photographed this, so forgive the background. You begin about a quarter inch from the point, and whipstitch toward the point.

After you get to the point, you turn around and whipstitch to the end of that side (middle point.)

When you have reached the middle point, you may take a backstitch to secure it.

Now here we are, open the two up. Get ready to add the last diamond to the block.

I am now adding the light diamond. Pinch it together along one of the sides.

Here is a semi-bad shot of the other side. By the way, I know, my nails look pretty rough! Try to take better care of your nails than I do.

Now you go through from one of the joined middle points, to the corresponding middle point of the newly added diamond. I like to go back through and grab the other point too, so that all three points are joined.

Like this...

Then you simply whipstitch out to the end point. Take some secure stitches there and cut your thread.

Now you have one seam left to close.

Pinch them together, with right sides facing each other as usual.

Once more start a quarter inch out from the point, (I think this is so that the knot is not in the point), and continue on to the point.

When you get to the point, try to join all three points,

like this...

Then you simply turn around and whipstitch out to the farther point.

All the way to the point...

When you get to the point, you finish off with secure stitches and cut your thread, unless you are joining something else to it.

Finishing.

Now you have a completed block unit. Your color placement will depend on what you are doing. If you are going for a star, it will be different from mine. I am going for the 3-D tumbling blocks look.

Well, this is basically it. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments and I will answer to the best of my ability.

Julie

English Paper Piecing Tutorial, Part I

2011-02-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

For English paper piecing, you must first have a template. I have made mine from magazine insert cards. There is a website called http://www.printablepaper.net/ where you can actually download .pdf files of octagons, hexagons, and diamonds. HERE is the link for the one I use. Print it on cardstock and you have your own templates. Now cut out a piece of fabric that is about 1/4" or a little more larger than the template.

This one is a bit ragged, but it doesn't matter, as long as it is big enough to baste down on all sides. If you are new to this, you may want to use a small pin to hold the paper in place.

Begin to baste by folding down one side of the fabric over the paper template.

Now you begin with a threaded needle, make sure your thread is knottted at the end. While holding it paper side up, with one side folded, you come up through the entire thing from the other side, You want the knot to be on the fabric side.

Now you go back down like so. At this point you want to stop and fold down the next side.

It is important to come up again right beside the fold.

Now you go back down again to baste the fold into place. After this you will take a couple of basting stitches toward the point, but not too far. You don't want to get under the next fold.

Here is the next fold. There will be a chicken-head looking thing sticking out. That is what you want. Once more you want to bring the needle up beside the fold.

Now you go back down again toward the point, to baste that point into place.

This is what it should look like. You still have that chicken head. After this, you simply continue around the diamond.

You will finish by going through and turning the diamond over, so that you see the fabric side only. You will then make a knot or take a couple of big stitches to hold it in place. Keep in mind that you will need to remove the knot later from the fabric side, so it is good to have that knot on top.

This is what mine looks like on the paper side.

And here it is again on the fabric side, complete with two knots.

Here are a few more. You may find it helpful to use a single hole punch on your templates to make them easier to pop out of the fabric later. I have done that in the past as you can see, but don't do it on my newer templates.

Stay tuned for part II, where we will begin to stitch them together.

Julie

English Paper Piecing

2011-02-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

I have been working on this project for a while now.

English paper piecing is fun! I love this little project. I will be adding a tutorial for this in my next post. In the meantime, here are some pictures to show you one of the scenic wonders of this part of the world.

Yes....it is scenic Mt. Washmore!!! I have this huge pile of clothes on my sofa that need folding. As you can see, Cabalito has reached the summit. Ugh, I hate laundry.

Laundry makes me a little crazy.

See you next time!!!

Julie

Quilt Retreat

2011-02-24T23:08:00.002-05:00

Every spring my quilt guild has a retreat. We have been going to the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia. It is such a nice place, and we have so much fun. Last year I made these paper-pieced barking dog blocks. I have since then completed the top, but have not quilted it. I have been stagnant in my quilting life for the last couple of years. However, I am coming out of it. I have been mostly doing some handwork, but have also been venturing down to my sewing studio to work on some maple leaf blocks. I have a gazillion of the blocks, I just need to make them into tops. Yes, tops plural. I have so many of these blocks. I think I can make three tops and one wall-hanging. I am not sure what to do with my barking dog blocks, but I would love to get it finished.

Julie

It's Been a While....

2011-02-21T15:36:00.003-05:00

It has been a while hasn't it? Over a year to be exact since my last post. Wow!! I do miss my blog, and still enjoy visiting other blogs. Here are my dear children. My daughter was in the pageant again this year. No wins, but she is still a winner in my book. I have started on a new weight-loss journey. I have quite a ways to go, but I am determined!! It WILL happen this time. I am tired of being overweight. I will keep you posted!
Julie

Pageant Night

2010-01-25T21:46:00.002-05:00

The school's beauty pageant was Friday night. Dear Daughter was contestant number 23. I was so proud of her. She did not win, but she is a winner in my book. She is not only beautiful on the outside, she is beautiful on the inside too. What a sweet girl, and she is growing up so fast.
See what a proud Mom I am!
Until next time.
Julie

Wow, Take a Look at This!

2010-01-23T22:06:00.003-05:00

Can you believe what I got from Carol at Cornfield Quilter. I signed up for her PIF and THIS is what she sent me??? Wow! It is an entire BOM kit for a bed-sized quilt. I am flabbergasted. I can't wait to get my sewing room up and running so that I can start on it. Maybe this will be my project for retreat this year.
Thank you so much, Carol. You really made my day at a time of my life when I have been down in the dumps.
I have had other good things happen to me lately. Finally, knock on wood, my luck seems to be changing. I finally signed the papers to close on my house refinance. I now have a much lower interest rate, a lower monthly payment, and ...... BONUS...... some money back. I got just enough money back to get some much needed work done to my house. Things continue to improve! Also, I am starting to take better care of myself. Have you heard of Zumba? Wow, is it fun! And I am working out with Zumba at our Community Center with a room full of other women. We are having a ball and getting into shape. My goal, to get into a shape other than round. More on that later.
Stay tuned....my daughter was in the pageant last night. She wasn't a pageant winner, but she was a winner as far as I am concerned. I will be posting pictures soon.
Julie

Hi There Folks!

2010-01-13T23:07:00.002-05:00

It has been so cold here, in the Deep South we are not used to temps below 20 degrees F. My chihuahua definitely is not liking it. I cannot stand my sewing room because it is unheated. Normally a plug-in heater heats it up just fine, but in this cold you can't even tell it is there. I am getting ready for my daughter to be in the junior school pageant next Friday. We had to buy a new pageant dress. Sigh.... Every time I turn around, more money. But it is worth it, she will be so pretty. She won 6th grade beauty last year, which totally shocked the tomboy that I have always been. Pageants were not in my realm at all. Although, I did get Prom Queen in 1983!! LOL. But I did not run for it and was quite embarrassed when it was announced. Well, those were the good old days, and these are the good new days.
I don't know if I told you about all the plumbing problems I have had for the past 6 months or so. It seems that they got progressively worse over time after my husband and I split up. Well, a great plumber came and spent 4 whole days working here. He had a "Ditch Witch" tractor over here one day, a hired hand helping him, and fixed so many problems. He even fixed some things that I didn't know about. I was so scared to receive my bill. Well, guess what? The bill was $140!! Now I think this man is an angel sent from heaven. He knew what all I had been going through with my ex, and financially, and he decided to do me a good deed. I have to tell you, when I worked up the courage to open that bill (expecting something around $1,000) and saw only $140 I started crying. I went into my bedroom and boo hoo-ed for quite some time. It was an amazing experience. God Bless that man! I think I may need to make him a quilt, what do you think?
Julie

Cruising into 2010

2009-12-31T12:40:00.002-05:00

I am celebrating the new year by staying home with my kids. We will stay up and watch the ball drop in Times Square, then go straight to bed like the party animals we are. This is a picture of me driving home from work. I think I look happy here, and I certainly am happy now. I am in charge of my own destiny and no longer depend on a husband to deal with problems. I am finding this an empowering experience. I am dealing with problems and not letting them stress me out. I am saving money for my kids' cars so that I will be ready when they turn 16. I am paying off bills and improving my credit. I am refinancing my house and getting a lower interest rate and lower monthly payments. Things are great, and I am planning on 2010 being even better. I hope it will be a great one for you too!
Julie

Fairy Rings

2009-12-30T00:57:00.002-05:00

I saw in Elaine's blog, Elaine Adair Pieces, that she just completed a quilt called "Fairy Rings." It has, of course, a circular pattern and she used fairy fabrics. It reminded me of some of the fantastic fairy rings we had here in Alabama this past summer. I stopped to take photos of these particularly large mushrooms in front of a lawyer's office building.
Look at the size of these things. I have always really been fascinated by fairy rings, and think they are very cool. When I look them up on the Internet, there are always explanations of ways to prevent them and keep them from spreading. Why would you want to? I would much rather have some dead grass patches here and there and experience the magic of the fairy ring!
As you can see, they are literally dinner plate sized. This one was 10 inches across! So beautiful. I imagine that if there really were fairies, they would have a ball with these giant mushrooms.
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my imagination, LOL. I guess I am still a kid at heart, well at least I hope I am.
Julie

New Blog is Ready

2009-12-29T01:54:00.000-05:00

Leave me a comment and I will reply to you with my new blog's address! I can't wait to see you there.
Julie

Christmas Eve, 2009

2009-12-29T01:22:00.002-05:00

Well, sorry about the red eyes, I haven't figured out how to manipulate these photos yet. At least I finally figured out how to put pictures from my new camera onto the computer. It wasn't hard at all, I just dreaded sitting down and doing it.
Anyway, this is a picture of my daughter and son, we are at my mother's house for the Christmas Eve gift exchange. The doggie is our part time dog. He is actually my sister's dog, but stays with us when she is working out of town. I hope you are enjoying the end of this fabulous year. We certainly are. Thanks for visiting!
Julie

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T01:28:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a glorious Christmas. Here in Alabama it was rainy and cold. I enjoyed time with my family and did lots of cooking. It is so nice to spend time with everyone.
On a lighter note, my ex-husband came by to pick up the kids after breakfast this morning. He actually had the nerve to ask me if I had anything he could eat for breakfast. He wanted me to fix him breakfast. Can you believe it? Well, anyway, I said no, of course. LOL.
Julie

Welcome Friends

2009-12-20T19:38:00.003-05:00

This is an old photo of a punchneedle project I did last year. It was before I had mounted it into the frame and so looks rather lumpy. I wanted something to welcome you to my new blog. I am so excited. Now I have to get my new camera and figure out how to download pics from it to my computer. I am dreading that part, hence the old photo above.
Today I bought major groceries, hopefully enough to get me through the holidays. I try to avoid the stores from this point on. I bought myself some earrings yesterday from a local jewelry store that is going out of business. Diamond studs for half-price! I also bought some nice gold hoops while there. So, I will be broke for the rest of the holiday season, but who needs money? All my gifts are bought, bills are paid, and I have laid-in a good supply of groceries. All that is left is to have fun and enjoy being with family. I hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas season as well.
Julie

Here it is, my new blog.

2009-12-16T23:01:00.002-05:00

I have missed blogging so much. I have lots of tweaking to do to this new blog, and plan to work on that as a fun project over Christmas break. Right now I only have two more work days - filled with semester exams and lots of snacking.
Zumba tomorrow night. I started last week. This is an exercise/dancing class that is so much fun. It is exactly what I need to get me moving and back into shape. I will keep you posted,
Julie

New Blog

2009-12-15T23:39:00.000-05:00

I am working on the new blog. When it is up and running, I will let you know!

Here I Am!

2009-12-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

I am still here! I do miss blogging. I think one of the main things that took the wind out of my sails for my blog, other than the divorce, was the finding that certain local members of the community were closely following my blog (and these were people that I didn't want reading my daily thoughts). It felt like an invasion of privacy. I realized that I had made a huge mistake by inviting certain people to check out my blog, who then passed the information on to others. I am going to start a brand new blog over Christmas break. Maybe I will try some new things. I will keep you, my bloggy friends, posted!

Hello Friends

2009-07-28T13:09:00.000-04:00

Well, I am still here. I just have been so busy lately, with no motivation for blogging. Since my camera is on the blink it just doesn't seem as interesting. :-)
I am sitting here enjoying air conditioning. It is something I normally take for granted, but my HVAC unit went out earlier this summer. I have been enduring the summer without it, but finally was able to get the money to have a new one installed. My van has developed a leak in the oil pan, which will be fixed tomorrow. (I hope.) I got a new washing machine put in yesterday to replace the other new one which leaked water everywhere. As I mentioned, my camera is on the blink. My vacuum cleaner stopped working - but it was an easy fix - they pulled a Lego out of it! I have also had lots of financial and legal untangling to work on. I have also had people in to give me quotes on repairing all the water/moisture damage from downstairs. In short, I have just been too busy and distracted to blog.
Thanks for hanging in there and continuing to watch for my posts through my "bad spell." Next week I start back to work :-( But I am grateful for my job, which I really do enjoy. It is just that I enjoy staying home and doing what I want when I want more. TTYL,
Julie

In the Crown

2009-07-10T13:40:00.000-04:00

Here is a photo of, from left to right, me, my niece Joy, and bff Anna. It was about 1988, and we were in New York City. We decided to make the climb to the crown, and had a nice man behind us take our picture. I love this picture. It was such a fun trip!They reopened the crown July 4th of this year. It had been closed since the terrorists did their cowardly deeds on 9 - 11. I have heard that it will only be open for a short period of time, so if you are in the NYC area anytime soon, schedule a trip to the crown. I don't think you can just show up and get in line anymore.
TTYL,
Julie

Checking In

2009-06-22T01:20:00.000-04:00

Hi blog friends. I just wanted to explain myself. I have never abandoned my blog for this long. I have also been negligent visiting your blogs. I dropped my camera in the sand on the beach trip and I am afraid to get my pictures off it until I take it to a camera doc. So, no beach pics. But we did have a wonderful time. Just take my word for it, it was beautiful, and we can't wait to go back.
The next thing that has kept me away is that I am going through a divorce. I am dealing with a lot, not the least of which is that my ex-husband won't get his stuff out of my house. So I have not really felt like blogging. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely happy. I have had to put up with a lot over the years - I did it for the kids - but things happened that I could not put up with. Enough said.
I will be back to blogging soon enough. Stay tuned!
Julie

Gone to the Beach

2009-06-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

We are going to Mexico Beach for a week. When this post shows up I should already be there. It is not crowded, and is family-friendly. We have a house right on the beach, by a turtle sanctuary - which we think is pretty cool. When I come back I will have pictures from our actual trip. Hope you enjoy your week!
Julie

Giveaway!!

2009-06-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

Marion at Villa Kunterbunt is having a giveaway. You don't want to miss it so hop on over.

Pincushion Attempt

2009-06-03T16:52:00.000-04:00

I decided to try making May Britt's pincushion. When done right it is so cute. Of course, I did it wrong! Her tutorial is here. As you can see, mine looks like a mini-hassock. It is still cute, and my kids like to toss it around the room like a ball.
I have been meaning to do it again. Now that I have made one, I know what my error was, and I can make one the right way.
I have been working in my yard most mornings since school is out. I have done a lot, but have so much still to do. I spend the rest of the day recovering from the heat, but at least I have a feeling of accomplishment. Inside, I have been working on replacing my heavy, dusty drapes with light, easy-to-clean curtains. It feels so much better to have all these dusty drapes out of the house. I will never, ever have drapes again. Ugh...
Julie

Giveaway from Deb at Works in Progress

2009-05-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

Look at these fantastic vintage buttons.

Deb is having a giveaway. She found many treasures in her Aunty Jean's sewing box, and is giving away these beautiful buttons! So pop on over to her blog today and enter her giveaway!
Julie

Monastery of the Holy Spirit

2009-05-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

On my way home from the retreat, I stopped at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. It is a peaceful place. The Trappist Monks are very welcoming, and have a shop where they sell bread, fudge, rosaries, and other things that they make here. They also have a bonsai greenhouse. I have been there with my brother a few times to visit with Brother Paul, who is a bonsai expert. I don't know if he is still there. It was Sunday, and the commercial enterprises were closed. I would like to return one day when I can wander around again.
Julie

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T09:45:00.000-04:00

I want to remember those who have served and are currently serving in our military. Be thankful for them, they have made great sacrifices so that we can live as we do.

More Retreat Photos, Facility

2009-05-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

In the post I am showing you some shots of the facilities. We were really impressed with the place. It was beautiful. Hope you enjoy.
Julie

Cotton Boll Quilt Guild Annual Retreat 2009

2009-05-23T10:36:00.000-04:00

The Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia, is fantastic! We thoroughly enjoyed the facilities, food, and environment. The people were very nice, and treated us very well. We have all agreed to go back again next year.
I finally finished the machine quilting on this small Christmas quilt. It is about 40 inches square, and uses a fat quarter pack that I purchased from Tiny Stitches in Atlanta a couple of years ago. I also added some gold fabric that I had on hand to stretch it enough to make it a decent lap size.
Now I only have to add the binding. It will be ready for Christmas 2009!
The pastel quilt above is one that my roommate, Linda, was working on. She bought the kit to make it at a quilt shop in Conyers, Georgia, and got a lot of work done on it. I am not sure if she finished the top or not.
This is another top Linda was working on. It is sort of a random string quilt that she was putting together with scraps. I liked it!!
Pat H. has worked on this stack-n-whack quilt for the last three retreats. She finally finished the top at this retreat. A section is missing because she was sewing it together at the time. She is going to make this one king-sized to fit on her bed! I hope to see the finished product soon. :-)
And here is my Noah's Ark quilt top, finally put together. I worked on these embroidery blocks over Christmas break. I love them. They were a free stitchery BOM from Lynette Anderson. She is very generous to give these away to her blog fans. If you would like to download the patterns while they are still available, they are here. This makes a very tiny quilt. I am going to add a border to it, then it will be ready to quilt. I just love it.
Stay tuned for more retreat photos. Have a great weekend.
Julie

Gift from Down Under

2009-05-22T00:22:00.000-04:00

The other day I went out to my mailbox and, to my great surprise, there was a package from Tasmania! Razzy sent me these fantastic Aussie fat quarters and a sweet card. She is just such a fantastic friend. To think that I would never have met her if not for this blog.
Roseanne, thank you so much for the sweet surprise. I hope that you had a wonderful birthday. You certainly did brighten my day!
I have not yet reported on my retreat experience. Let me just say that it was FANTASTIC! The best ever! I have pictures and will post soon. I finally unpacked my camera tonight and downloaded photos to my computer. Be expecting retreat news this weekend!
Julie

Retreat

2009-05-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

Friday I am leaving for our annual quilting retreat. This year we are going to the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, in Mansfield, Georgia. We have never had it here before, so I am anxious to see how it compares to the 4H center in Columbiana, Alabama. I will keep you posted.
Julie

Spring Dance - My Daughter

2009-05-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

Joy is going to her first formal school dance tonight. She is so excited about it. Thank goodness her ankle is healed now, so that she can wear her Jessica Simpson high heels!
I have to chaperone this dance every year, since I teach at the school, but this is the first year I have looked forward to it. I thought that she would not want me to be there, but she does. After all, now she and her friends have someone to hold all of their "stuff" while they walk around unencumbered.
Julie

Finally, a quilty post. Well, not all quilty.

2009-05-04T21:41:00.000-04:00

Here is the result of my toothbrush rug experiment. I only got it about 8 inches in diameter before I stopped. It is a toothbrush trivet, LOL. The rug started cupping into a bowl shape. I now know how to control the tension so that it won't do this. Not bad for a first try.
This is my favorite project right now. English paper piecing is lots of fun, and the perfect portable project. I am going for a tumbling blocks look. It is challenging to find those medium colors! Contrast is the key.
I completed this needlepunch project while on Spring Break. It is called Scaredy Cat, or is it Fraidy Cat? I don't remember. Anyway, I just love the faces on the little pumpkins. Needlepunch is such a cool thing to do, and most people have never heard of it.
This is a miniature quilt top, still waiting for its borders. It seems so boring compared to the other things I am working on.
I am looking forward to my quilt guild's retreat in a couple of weeks. I hope to get a charity quilt made, as well as some baby quilts. I am way behind in these projects. I don't want to try to do too much, because I know from past experience that I get more talking done than quilting.
Only 13 more student days until school is out for summer break. The kids are getting more and more out of control as the time approaches. I just hope we can avoid any major meltdowns or drama. The last couple of weeks we have to really tighten up, because the kids are stir crazy.
Enjoy your week.
Julie

Key West - More Spring Break Pictures

2009-04-29T10:13:00.000-04:00

Here are some gift shop display stands in Key West. John Owen and his friend each bought one of these coconut dudes.
This is just a cool, and very colorful sign in town.
Here are John Owen and Joy posing by this very large conch shell.
You can get hours of entertainment from a fun house mirror! Gotta love 'em. This one is in the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.
John Owen insisted I take a picture of this gigantic strawberry he was eating. It was actually four strawberries fused together. I will continue to post Key West pictures over the next few weeks, maybe. I will try to put quilty stuff in too, for those of you who are looking for that.
By the way, I have figured out how to make a toothbrush rug, and am starting a small one now. Such a cool way to use up undesirable fabric.
Julie

Carol and the Beach Quilt, and a giveaway

2009-04-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

Here is my sister-in-law, Carol, with a beach scene quilt I made for her several years ago. It uses the landscape quilt method in which you use spray adhesive, raw edge pieces of fabric, and tulle. Then you quilt over the entire thing. I think it turned out well.

Detail shots of the quilt. I had fun using embellishments on this one.
Carol lives in Florida, very close to a nice beach. We love to visit her, and stopped by her house on our way to Key Largo for Spring Break. She is a really sweet sister-in-law.
She has the quilt in storage now, and it is "in retirement" from decorating her home. Ahh, such is the way, eventually, of all my quilts I suppose. :-)
By the way, Cornfield Quilter is having a giveaway for her 200th post. Be sure to stop by, and don't forget to mention that I sent you her way!!
Julie

Key Largo, Florida - Spring Break 2009

2009-04-19T19:48:00.000-04:00

Key Largo was glorious. The weather was perfect, the water was warm, the sun was bright. You can see for yourself what the sky looked like here.
We chartered a boat, the Aquarius, for snorkeling. They took us to a coral reef off the coast of Key Largo. It was a blast. Here is Joy enjoying the ride.
John Owen loved snorkeling and seemed to be an old pro at it.
Here I am standing by the water in Key West. It was such a beautiful place.e

This is Ann's Beach. It is actually on another key, Islamorada, Florida. We enjoyed the clear water and all the sea life. My kids got to catch sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, blue crabs, sea slugs, and all kinds of other animals. Of course, we released them after checking them out. The water was nice and warm. So luxurious....
Julie

Spring is Here

2009-04-08T19:31:00.000-04:00

I took some photos in the yard the other day. There are dogwood and azaleas blooming, birds building nests, etc.... I wanted to share these with you. I did not take any photos of the yellow pollen all over everything.
I wanted to make a quick little post in case I don't get to post any more until after spring break. We will be very busy getting ready to leave and then will be gone for a week. I will check in when I return.
Julie

Tea Party

2009-04-03T18:15:00.000-04:00

Joy and I had a tea party. Karol-Ann had sent me some tea and tea biscuits. I had been waiting for a good time to have a tea party. We decided a couple of weeks ago to go ahead and party! I have a Wedgewood Countryware set of china, and I just love the teapot. It was nice to finally actually use it instead of just look at it.
Here is the teapot alone, I love how it looks like a cabbage!
Here was a bowl of citrus that was so pretty. Those reddish blood oranges are so good, and make such a colorful picture.
This is what Karol-Ann sent. The T biscuits are sooo yummy!
And yes, they are actually shaped like the letter "T."
Here are our cups of tea.
I even have a flower pot shaped like a tea pot, LOL. This is in my kitchen window. It is sitting in a peanut butter jar lid because I had just watered it.
The whole thing was simply boring and exhausting for Cabalito. He decided to take a nap on his "perch." We have this little place fixed up on an old sewing machine treadle table by the window. He likes to sit up there and watch the cats across the street. He has to bark and bark to make sure those cats know better than to come into his territory.

Twisted Bargello/Loser Monday

2009-03-30T22:56:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is the completed Twisted Bargello panel. I still have not added borders. I have been so busy lately. I really want to finish it, but it may have to wait for summer break.
We have spring break coming up in two weeks, and I am really ready for it.
I finally got back to Weight Watchers. Good news.... I lost 4.4 more pounds .... for a total loss of 16 pounds! Wow!!
I hope you have a good week.
Julie

Deb sent Joy a "Get Better Soon" package from New Zealand!!

2009-03-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

Joy was thrilled to receive her very own package from Deb at Works in Progress. Deb sent this to help Joy feel better as she is recovering from her broken ankle. Joy has looked and looked at her magazines, and has almost completed her felt cat. Deb, that was so thoughtful of you. Joy couldn't wait to tell her friends that she had received a package from Christchurch, New Zealand!
An update on Joy's ankle. We went to the doctor today. They cut off the cast and did a new X-ray. Everything was looking good, and she now has a cast that she can remove for bathing or swimming. I am excited that I don't have to put the plastic trash bags on her cast anymore for showers. :-D
BTW, the candy did not last long at all! It was so good - I had a taste of it myself. The kids devoured it. LOL
I hope you are having a good week. It is almost the weekend, and I am really ready for it. I plan to go to Atlanta Saturday and visit Little Quilts and Red Hen. Fun!!
Julie

Bagpipes!

2009-03-24T22:17:00.000-04:00

Beth came to my Mom's house and played a private bagpipe concert for her today. We enjoyed it so much. Beth is a friend of the family. She couldn't have found a more appreciative audience, I don't think. We loved it!!Here is my son, John Owen, checking out how hard it is to push the air out of that air bag.

I hope you are having a great week. We are having loads of fun around here!
Julie

Twisted Bargello

2009-03-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of the bargello with all the strips done. This is before I put them all together. I have put them together now, and am waiting to put borders one. I haven't taken any pictures of that stage. The sewing machine and temporary design wall, and all the other sewing equipment, has been taken downstairs to my sewing studio finally. I gave my house a good cleaning this weekend and it looks so much better. I was tired of the quilt taking over the dining room.
Julie

Another Sisterhood Award/Loser Monday

2009-03-23T22:25:00.000-04:00

I won another award from Peggy, of Musings of Meggie. It is actually another Sisterhood Award!! In fact, Peggy gave me her award first, but it came in that period of time when I was so out of touch with everything and super busy. I completely forgot that I had not posted about it! I am so glad to have met Peggy, she is one of the sweetest bloggers I know, and I feel that I have really gotten to know her. I do feel that she is a blogging sister to me. Thanks, Peggy!

I am not going to post the rules again, simply scroll down to my last post for those. Feel free to take this award for yourself if you are one of my blogging sisters!
Loser Monday, well, I have no idea really. The last two Mondays have been days when I simply could not attend the meetings of Weight Watchers. Tonight I had a school PAC (like PTA) meeting at the same time as the WW meeting. Last week I could have gone, but it was raining cats and dogs outside. No way was I getting out in that!! I just wanted to snuggle up and stay home. Now I have pretty much stuck to my diet, so I hope for a loss when I go back next week.
It has been a long day. We had a mandatory faculty meeting after school today, until 4:30, then had to come back to the school at 6:00 for the PAC meeting. The PAC meeting had several programs and wasn't over until about 7:30. I then had to do something about dinner. It is so good to just sit here and do a little blogging now.
I hope you are going to have a good week. I can say now that we only have 7 more Mondays until school is out for the summer!
Julie

I Won a Sisterhood Award from Sunna!

2009-03-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

I received the Sisterhood Award from Sunnyquilts today. Sunna lives in Iceland. I think Iceland is such an exotic place, and I would never have dreamed that I would have a friend from there. Sunna is truly a great blogger and is so faithful to comment on my blog. I try to be faithful and do the same for her.

In order to officially be the recipient of this prestigious award, a few things need to be done --

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

Well, I am going to take the coward's way out here. There are so many blogs that I feel deserve this award. I am going to say that if you are one of my "sisters" like Sunna, please feel free to take this award as your own.

Thanks so much Sunna!

By the way, I can't believe it has been over a week since my last post! I have been so busy. I usually get caught up on the weekends, but they too have been super busy lately. This weekend was dedicated to yardwork and housework. The weather has been fantastic, perfect for cleaning up the yard. It is amazing how much work I got done out there in this weather. The downside is the allergies. I have sneezed four times since typing the last sentence. I simply have to get to the store to buy me some more Claritin.
Tomorrow is another work/school day. I am going to say this, and I can't help myself:
Only 8 more Mondays until Summer Vacation!!! Woo Hoo!
Hope you have a great week.
Julie

More Twisted Bargello Progress

2009-03-13T09:25:00.000-04:00

I have made some progress on my twisted bargello. I have been so busy with Joy. She needs to be waited on hand and foot. LOL. She is becoming a little more independent, but her ankle starts hurting her so much, and it hurts more when she hobbles around.

I will keep you up-to-date, I promise, as I go along. It is really fun, and I could sit and work on it until I was finished, if only I didn't have to stop to do other things. Life gets in the way. But it is a good life, and I am thankful for it. There now, it doesn't sound so much like complaining, does it?
Julie

English Paper Piecing

2009-03-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

Last week my friend Anne and I (Hi Anne!) took a class on English paper piecing. There was also a tea party. I am posting a photo of some of my progress. I have added to it since I took these photos. I took a photo of the reverse so that you can see the paper pieces that are still inside the shapes. I remove them as soon as they are completely surrounded by stitching. I am really enjoying this project.
Julie

Twisted Bargello Workshop - progress

2009-03-11T09:55:00.000-04:00

I am going to give you some very simple explanations of the photos. This first is the strip set. You cut 1 1/2" strips and sew them together. You have to have two colors that go from very light to very dark. I chose green and red as you can see.
This is the fabric chart that keeps you from getting mixed up with your pieces.
Ahhhh - is what you say when you first see this monster. This chart is the "map" of what goes where. Better pay attention here. No multi-tasking on this step.
You cut the strip sets into the proper widths and remove the sections you need and sew them together in the right order, as directed by the map above.
Here is what I had last weekend. Now I have done several more rows. I want to finish this one quickly because I have to get it out of the kitchen eating area and downstairs to my sewing room. I am afraid if I move it without finishing the strips I will get hopelessly lost. I think it will be pretty cool!
Julie

UPDATE ON JOY

2009-03-10T11:59:00.000-04:00

Good news - no surgery! She has a fractured fibula and will wear a cast for the next 6-8 weeks. We go back after 2 weeks for a new cast because there is still some swelling which will go down in that amount of time and we will need a better fitting cast. Thank you all so much for asking about her and sending prayers.
Julie

SNOW DAY! (Last Week)

2009-03-10T09:37:00.000-04:00

This is Jimmy and Cabalito outside in the snow. Snow is so rare in south Alabama. We close down everything and play outside, even if it is the wet, sticky, kind of snow. I am a little late posting this, the snow day was actually on March 1st. The interesting thing was that Saturday we had severe weather with lots of tornado damage in the area. Then Sunday was a snow day!
I took this photo above through my kitchen window. The snow transforms the yard and makes it look magical!

These last two were taken by John Owen, my son, as he was playing in the back yard.

What a difference a week can make. Today we have the windows open and the fans on to stay comfortable. Who knows what next week will bring?
Julie

Get Well Joy! Also, Loser Monday

2009-03-09T21:27:00.000-04:00

As you know from my last post, Joy had a trampoline accident and injured her ankle. These are photos of her after we came home from the emergency room that day. Her ankle is all splinted up so that she cannot further injure it. It has greatly reduced the pain she feels since it has been immobilized. We go to see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. I had to cancel her school trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City. Luckily I had purchased the trip insurance and will receive a full refund. I will let you all know what the doctor says tomorrow. Wish us luck, and thank you all so much for the prayers.
Julie
It is Loser Monday. Since last Monday was a "snow day" here in the Deep South, the Weight Watcher's meeting was closed. I don't know how I did then, but at this week's meeting I had lost an additional 2.2 pounds, for a total of 11 point something pounds lost since starting.
Julie

Joy's Accident

2009-03-08T18:12:00.000-04:00

Here is Joy's poor ankle. She was jumping on a trampoline at a friend's house and "came down wrong" on her foot. By the time I got there she looked like this. There are torn ligaments, dislocated bones, and possibly a fracture of the fibula. Since the fracture is near a growth plate it is hard for them to tell. Because of this they told us to go to an orthopedic doctor Monday. We are anxious to see what he says because she is scheduled to go on a school trip Friday to Washington, DC and New York City. She will be heartbroken if she does not get to go. Please say a prayer for us. I will let you know what we find out.
Julie

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2009-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

This book is fantastic. I loved it so much, I listened to it on my iPod, and now I am going to buy the book and read it the old-fashioned way. If you love to read great novels, you will love this one.
Today my friend Anne and I went to Ellerslie, Georgia, to an English paper-piecing class and tea party at Sunday Best Quilt Works. It was a lot of fun. They have a nice little quilt shop there and it was my first visit to their shop. I was so disappointed to find that their block of the month quilt was sold out!!! I have now started a tiny tumbling blocks quilt. I have been wanting to try English paper piecing. This should be fun. :-D
Julie

Loser Monday

2009-02-23T20:39:00.000-05:00

I lost 1.6 pounds this week! Yeah me!!

Amazing Gifts From Australia

2009-02-22T22:34:00.000-05:00

My great blog friend Cathy from Highland Quilter sent me a box full of fantastic goodies!! Of course I am showing the chocolate first. It is soooo good. I still have most of it, because I am on Weight Watchers and only allow myself to have some every now and then.
Cathy's husband sent three of these hats from the company he works for. Telstra is an Australian Internet cable and cell phone service company. The kids think it is cool to have hats from Australia to wear.

Cathy made these fantastic pencil rolls for the kids. They are rainbow colored and were filled with Crayola twist-up crayons! Those went to school the very next day. Joy is holding a magnet.
I think Joy's favorite item was this glass Christmas ornament with a koala painted on it. It is really cute. I told Cathy that my kids would like a koala and a kangaroo - and Cathy found a way to send them. LOL.

Here I am with my Heart String bag and Australia refrigerator magnet. This bag is fantastic and I use it for my embroidery supplies. If you are interested, Cathy is giving one away on her blog!

Here is Joy with her BFF. They were sitting in the floor coloring with the new crayons.
Now here is John Owen with his gifts. The hat made his bangs seem way too long, he was due for a haircut anyway, and has had one since then - just in case you were wondering - LOL.
He received a book about Tasmania and - I am not kidding here - he has looked and looked and looked at that book. He really has enjoyed it.
He got a pencil roll too. John Owen is a little artist and keeps it with his art supplies.
Cabalito was checking out the gifts too. Here John Owen is admiring his kangaroo ornament.
Cathy, you certainly gave us a happy day. We are still enjoying our gifts and will for many years to come. Thank you so much for gifts that you obviously put a lot of thought into.
Julie

Loser Monday

2009-02-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, I lost 2.8 more pounds. This makes a total two week loss of 7.6 I think. Now, on to week three.
I am behind on some posts that I need to do, like a thank you post to Cathy for a gift that arrived from Australia. I took photos, but I am lazy about downloading them to my computer to blog about them. Cathy, I love the stuff, so do the kids, I am going to post soon!!!
My son is in Jekyll Island, Georgia, on a gifted field trip. He will be gone for 3 days. I know he is having fun. He loves animals and nature and this is right up his alley.

I won two awards recently!!

2009-02-11T14:40:00.000-05:00

I received this award from Andrea at Kimono's and Quilts. I was so honored, but somehow had not gotten around to posting about it. Thank you Andrea.

I have to nominate some lovelies... here they are:

Marion at Villa Kunterbunt.
Amy at Not Always With Thread
Oma at Alabama Jasmine
Isabella at I Just Love to Stitch NO2
Kris at Life at Rosemary Hill
Peggy at Musings of Meggie

Now I have also received another award from Marion!
Thank you so much, Marion.

I want to award this one to the same people. Except I am changing Marion for Andrea!!

Andrea at Kimonos and Quilts
Amy at Not Always With Thread
Oma at Alabama Jasmine
Isabella at I Just Love to Stitch NO2
Kris at Life at Rosemary Hill
Peggy at Musings of Meggie

Loser Monday

2009-02-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

I am such a loser. Tonight at weigh-in (Weight Watchers) I found out I had lost 4.8 pounds. Yay me!! Being a loser can be a good thing.

Some of my recent accomplishments.

2009-02-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

I finished another pair of wool pincushions! I bought the kit from Brenda at Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe.
I have a little wool that I have acquired since then, enough to make a second of each pincushion. Why? Because I cannot bear to give mine away! LOL.
The bottom photo is of the pineapple needlepunch project that I completed. I showed a photo of it before, but this one is after I steamed it to make it lie flat. I still need to frame it and will probably show it again then - I am so proud of it. :-D
Julie

Love Notes!

2009-02-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

I visited Kim's blog, Bitty Bits and Pieces, to enter a great giveaway she was having. I didn't win the giveaway, but I did find a cool tutorial she had made for these pillows. I went a little crazy and made six of them! They make fantastic gifts, they have a little pocket on the front for a card, candy, or other small gift. I may even make some more of them. My kids are using them for teacher gifts. I found that I had a lot more Valentine's fabric than I had thought. This was fun. Thanks, Kim, for a great tutorial.
Julie

I Won a Giveaway from Kathy!!

2009-02-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

I won another giveaway from Kathy at Kathy's Quilts. It is a Winnie the Pooh quilt kit for a boy. I really needed this since I have several boy quilts that I need to make for friends. Thank you so much Kathy!!! I am such a lucky duck lately. I will send you a photo when I put this one together.
Julie

Sharon Sent me Goodies!!

2009-02-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Sharon at Red Geranium Cottage sent me a little Valentine's gift for commenting on her blog the other day. (She had a little mini-drawing.) I just love Sharon's blog and she is the diet-Nazi who is in charge of Loser Mondays. Thank you so much Sharon for the cute notebook, pencils, and calendar! I took them to school and am using them at my desk.
Julie

Marion's Christmas Mystery Quilt

2009-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

I never posted a photo of the mystery quilt from Marion at Villa Kunterbunt. I temporarily misplaced the photo - don't ask how - I just couldn't find it and then tonight there it was again. Well, here it is! I still have to quilt it but it is a lovely top! Thanks, Marion, for the little Christmas Mystery. I really enjoyed it.
Julie

Loser Monday

2009-02-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it tonight. My sister and I went to Weight Watchers!! It was very motivating, and the plan is very easy to follow. I have done it before, but always ended up dropping out. I don't plan to drop out this time. I even splurged and bought the Basic Membership Kit!

Loser Monday - on Tuesday

2009-01-27T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I forgot all about posting yesterday so here is my Loser Monday update. I missed yet another Weight Watchers meeting due to my sister-in-law's brother dying from cancer. We were at the funeral home. It was really sad, he was only 47. He had brain cancer.
Anyway, I haven't weighed, but I have been good. I received my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer and have been drinking lots of fresh juice. It is soooo good. I still plan to go to WW next Monday - I hope!!
Julie

Kim at Bitty Bits and Pieces is Having a Valentine's Day Giveaway!

2009-01-25T13:49:00.000-05:00

Kim at Bitty Bits and Pieces is having a Valentine's Giveaway. It looks like a wonderful giveaway and a great blog. I am going to have to return to this blog. She has a cute tutorial for a heart-shaped Love Note Pillow too. I might just have to make some of those - too cute!! Now if you go to this giveaway, please mention that you came there via my blog. Thanks!!
Julie

And the winner is.....

2009-01-21T14:29:00.000-05:00

I listed everyone who commented on my giveaway post, then those who were my blog followers, then the ones who commented on Oma's blog, Alabama Jasmine. Then I utilized a random number generator. The winning number is 12 which is Pippilotta or Marion, from Germany!!! Marion, I already have your address from our jalapeno conversation. Congratulations!!
Since there were 90 to choose from, I decided to have a 2nd place prize too. This was number 79 - Isabella! Isabella is one of the Tassie bloggers. Isabella, send me your address and I will send you a little surprise too. I am so happy that both winners are also good friends of mine. Thanks for your comments, and have a great rest of the week.

Loser Monday - Update!

2009-01-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

I am finally starting up! Sharon at Red Geranium Cottage should be so proud of me - and I hope not mad at me for not starting two weeks ago. I am even biting the bullet and putting on a horrible BEFORE photo of me!!! It is about a year old, but I still look just as awful. :-D I have so many excuses for not starting Weight Watchers until today, but they are good excuses!! Last week we had a PTO meeting at school at the exact same time - and I am required to attend those. The week before the line was so long that I just left. It snaked across the room and halfway down the hallway of the community center, plus most folks in line were signing up as new members which takes forever. I am actually excited about getting started finally.
Now, Sharon, don't even THINK about whether I am going to post my weight. No, no, no!! Let's just say it is horrifying! Shocking! I am one of those old, fat people that I used to make fun of. Oh, sweet Karma!! I may find one of those gadgets to put on my sidebar that shows progress toward a goal. That might be motivating. Well, in half an hour I am off to my meeting.
UPDATE!!
To continue a trend, when I arrived at the Community Center it was closed due to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day - with no sign or anything saying what had happened to the WW meeting. Oh well, I went to the grocery store and am starting anyway. And I ordered a power juicer!!!
Julie

Facebook

2009-01-19T01:10:00.000-05:00

I have been having the most fun on Facebook lately. Are you one of my blogfriends who is also on FB? If so, would you please look for me? I would love to be friends with you on FB. Mostly my friends are from High School days and it is a blast. Look for Julie Stewart in the Montgomery, Alabama network.

Tagged by Amy

2009-01-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

Amy tagged me! I have to pick the fourth picture from the fourth folder and explain the picture. Well, this is a shot of a birdhouse on my carport. It had some of the cutest baby wrens in it. This is from last summer.
I am not going to tag anyone specifically. If you want to play along, then consider yourself tagged. This is a fun one - I usually hate being tagged when I have to answer a bunch of silly questions.
Don't forget about my giveaway. Scroll down to that post if you still haven't entered. I will do the drawing on the 21st.
Julie

I Won a Prize!!

2009-01-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

I won a prize from T at Fiber Babble. After being told for years that being nosey is not a good thing, it finally paid off for me. I asked T a question about something on her sidebar. She told me no one had ever asked her about it before and so she was going to send me a little present. Well, let me tell you, it was NOT a LITTLE something. It was NICE!! I got fabric, chocolate, coffee, a pretty needle case, and a sweet little journal. I apologize for the terrible condition of the photos. I just wasn't having a good photo day. Thank you so much, T. I love my goodies. The edible ones are already gone. I did not miss the significance of the little quote you had marked in the journal! LOL.

This last photo is my very first punchneedle project. I still have to frame it, but isn't it cute? I am already working on my second one. These are addictive.

Also, please notice the icon for Kate's Housewarming on my sidebar. She has switched from Blogger to Wordpress and is sort of having a blog warming. She recently moved to a new house and is having a real life housewarming too. It sounds like fun and a good chance to get to know some new bloggers so pop on over and RSVP that you will attend!
Julie

Update!! A Solution for Tracker and Shooter has been found.

2009-01-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here's the update on the dogs.
They will be adopted by friends of Cindy.
They are building a fence and looking for donations if one feels led
to do so...or food, drink, whatever.

Thank you all for your concerns and getting the message out!

This is the miracle we were praying for!
Julie

Do you know of someone who can help? Cindy's dogs will be euthanized Jan. 14th!

2009-01-11T21:23:00.000-05:00

Hello, My name is Shooter Wall. I am a 12 year old Labrador Retriever. I have a 10 year old brother, Tracker, a lab and Chesapeake Bay retriever "combo." Recently our world was turned upside down when our mom, Cindy Wall, left for work one morning, and we have not seen her since. There was a lot of activity at our house for a while, with many people coming and going. They were very upset.
We heard someone say that Mom had died suddenly (we are not sure just what that means.) Our veterinarian, Dr. Mary Smith, came and took us to her office and we have been staying here ever since. We are very well cared for here, but it is not the same as being at home. (Who wants to live at a hospital?) Our friend Belle's mom is trying to find a family who are willing to adopt us and give us a new home....or even two families, each taking one of us.
We have been described as sweet, loving and well mannered. Dr. Smith does not know of any serious health issues. Tracker has some arthritis, so he likes to sleep on a cushioned bed; he takes medicine for his arthritis and thyroid.
At 70 pounds I have allergies that I take antihistamines to help; I also do not like thunderstorms, but have gotten more used to them... don't hear as well as I used to! (Just like my mom's friend Melissa! - the allergies, thunderstorms & hearing that is - she only wishes she looked like me!)
We miss Mom Cindy so much!! We want a family to love and share our time with. Please, if you know of someone who would like to adopt us, have them call Dr. Mary's office at 821-7810 and she will tell you about us. Thank you for any help you can give us.
---Linda Bayse, Shooter's Secretary
P.S. Cindy died in September and her dogs are boarded at the vet since then. Unless we can find a place for them, they will be put down on Wednesday, Jan.14th. Her brother can't keep paying the fee to board them ...... they have to go. Please, think hard. Cindy had such an impact on our community in so many ways, and I am certain that if we can just make more people aware of this situation, a home (or 2 homes) can be found. Perhaps someone can provide a foster home until an adoption can be arranged. Do you know of a foster home?
They do not have to go together; they can be fostered separately. These are such sweet, old dogs; we know that Cindy's wishes were that her dogs not be killed. Linda can be reached at 334-728-1500.
You may remember my friend Cindy who passed away last year. My memorial post to her is here. If you can help, or know someone who can, then please call Linda or post a comment to me. We are desperate.
Julie

Pay It Forward!

2009-01-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

I have decided to join the "Pay It Forward" fun with Carol at Cornfield Quilter, so if any of you would like to join me, the first three leaving a comment on my blog wanting to join are in. Below are the rules and the button to copy and put on your blog is above. Come and join the fun!!
Here are the "Pay It Forward" rules.
The first three people will be chosen to participate if they leave a comment on this post asking to join. They are agreeing to post a similar announcement on their blog, and Pay It Forward to three more people, who will in turn agree to Pay It Forward etc. What does it mean?

Carol is going to send me and her other participants one handmade item sometime in the next 12 months. I, in turn, will send one handmade item to each of the three participants who signed up with me, withing the next 12 months. You, in turn, will send one handmade item to each of your participants, and so on.

I can't wait to find out who wants to play with me.

I have been blown away by the people who have entered my 100th post giveaway!! Thank you all so much and it is not too late to sign up. Just go down to my previous post if you would like to win a nice chunk of Valentine fabric and a little something else.

100th Post Giveaway!! Lookie Lookie

2009-01-06T17:04:00.000-05:00

I wanted to do a giveaway for my 100th post, but I noticed that my last post was actually the 100th, I had forgotten to count the one post I did in 2007. OOPS. Also, Blogger says I have done 105 posts. I don't know how that is, but this is why I don't teach math. LOL. This would never happen to Amy. I am having a giveaway anyway! I shouldn't punish my readers for my inability to add. What about this cute St. Valentine's Day fabric? I uncovered it during my recent efforts at clearing out the quilt studio. I think that, with St. Valentine's Day coming up, this would be a perfect giveaway item. There will be about a yard and a half of it (I can't stand to give it all away - I am keeping a yard.) I will also include a small, handmade (by me) item. So, if you comment on this post you are entered in the giveaway. If you are one of my "Followers" (in my sidebar) you get entered twice. I will draw the name of the winner in two weeks, January 21st!!
Some of you may know that I have been working on organizing my quilt studio (sewing room LOL.) Above is showing some of the progress I have made. I put some of my sewing machine collection on the top shelf. I have THREE Featherweights!!
This photo is the table I am working on as I fold and sort the smaller pieces of fabric.
This is a good example of what the shelves looked like before I started, only it was worse!! Everything just jumbled together. I would love to get rid of the ugly white paneling in that room. I guess it is better than that dark paneling. At least the white makes the room lighter.
I have a friend with a new blog. It would mean so much to me if you would pop over and visit her and leave her a comment. Heck, I will even enter you a third time in my giveaway if you comment on her blog!! Her name is Oma and her blog is Alabama Jasmine. She is a member of my quilt guild and a good friend. She even dug up a pomegranite sapling and gave it to me this past weekend!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Until next time,
Julie

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:32:00.000-05:00

I would like to wish my readers a Happy New Year. I hope that 2009 will bring us luck, happiness, prosperity, and good health.
Today I cannot do laundry (will wash all the luck away for the whole year), and I must eat black eyed peas (good luck for the year), and collard greens (lots of money for this year.) I have baked a ham in my crock pot overnight to take to my mom's house. She has the black eyed peas, collards, potato salad, and a cake.
Do you have any traditions for New Years Day?
Julie

My First Christmas Stocking

2008-12-31T00:08:00.000-05:00

This is my childhood Christmas stocking. My Mama made it from a material that was called Lantuck. The Lantuck plant was just a few miles from my house. It is what is used for interfacing. I still want to call the stuff Lantuck. My hometown, Valley, Alabama, where I still live, was a mill town. Everything was run by "The Company." This referred to West Point Pepperell. We made towels, sheets, blankets, comforters, everything textile. Thanks to a couple of corporate raiders who, as far as I'm concerned, are damned to the deepest pits of Hell, the company went out of business. Bill Farley came in, bought everything, sold off the assetts, and ran away with the money. The company tried to make a go of it after that but was further raped by another raider, Carl Icahn. All the jobs are gone, although the company still limps along with mills in other countries. This is the kind of thing that has led to the financial crisis we suffer from today. It is sickening to see Carl Icahn in the society pages or magazines where they go on and on, gushing about his extravagant lifestyle. Oh yes, he owns houses all over the world. Goodie for him. Meanwhile, people here struggle to pay their bills and can't afford health insurance. Bill and Carl - two of the devil's henchmen. I think Mick Jagger sang about them in Sympathy for the Devil. Well, I didn't mean to get off on that tangent! LOL. Maybe I am a little bitter.
Anyway, I love this pitiful little stocking. I plan to duplicate it in wool. I just need to buy a good bit of red wool. The lantuck one will still be cared for and loved, because my Mama made it.
Julie

Some Quilty Gifts for Family

2008-12-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

I made a couple of couch caddy pincushion/pockets from Helen Stubbing's Stitchers Angel Swap free pattern for my mom and my sister-in-law. It seems that they are pleased with them!

Merry Christmas Everyone, and Gifts!

2008-12-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

Our family has had the most wonderful Christmas this year. We spent so much time with family. I stayed at my mom's house until 1 A.M. Christmas Eve with my brother and s-i-l, sister, niece, daughter, and mom. We put a puzzle together, which has become an annual tradition for us. I went home, put together a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning, and went to bed. Of course, Joy and John Owen were up at 6:30 A.M. to see what Santa brought. They received everything they asked for and were very happy. I received some nice punchneedle supplies!! I have started my very first punchneedle project, because I don't have enough quilting projects going on, I have to bring in something else.

The best part of gift opening for me was that I FINALLY got to open my gifts from my Secret Santa Christmas Swap partner, Jodie!! Jodie you have outdone yourself. I could not believe how many Caramel Koalas I got either. Each item was individually wrapped and contained a Caramel Koala from Cadbury's. Of course, they were immediately devoured and are simply delish!!! You can see that there is a beautiful tea towel, a bag with matching eyeglasses case (although it could be used for a rotary cutter), an Aussie pen to wear, and a Gold Coast calendar. I just love everything - I lucked up and got a really wonderful swap partner. Thank you so much Jodie!!
The next "I can't wait to open it" gift came from Karol-Ann in England. Karol-Ann sent me several different Liberty of London fabrics. I never thought I would own any of this fabric, which costs around $40 a yard here in the States. Karol-Ann has sent me several pieces and it is unbelievably beautiful and has such a soft hand to it. Thank you, thank you, thank you Karol-Ann. My sister was here when I opened it and was coveting the fabric - ha ha. Too bad!
The last, but certainly not least, "I can't wait to open it" gift was from Razzie in Tassie (Roseanne in Tasmania.) Roseanne is such a sweetheart. She sent me a photo album - and I think she made it herself - so cute! She also sent a Tasmanian Devil pen, an Australia magnet, and a tea towel with an appliqued angel. It is so pretty - I now have a beautiful tea towel collection. I have never seen a souvinir tea towel here in the States. If I ever do I will have to send it to my Australian friends for their collections.
I am going to add my photos now. I have been having trouble lately doing that and have yet to get up the nerve to try using Flickr for this. I hope Blogger cooperates, but if the photos are in no particular order and in funny locations, it is Blogger's fault and I hope you will excuse it!
Merry Christmas to everyone and here's to a brand new year of blogging. Oh wait! I just realized, today is my first anniversary - or Blogaversary!!! I started this one year ago on Christmas Day! I should have thought of having a giveaway but didn't. I am going to have one for my 100th post so if you have made it this far to the bottom of this lengthy (for me) post, this is your heads up!!
Julie

Let the Holidays Begin!

2008-12-19T09:51:00.000-05:00

We are finally out of school for Christmas holidays. I feel like it is REALLY Christmas now. Here is a photo of our tree. We put it up right after Thanksgiving (at my children's insistence) and have been enjoying it since then.
Here is Cabalito, the trusted assistant. He makes sure we do everything right. He is such a good boy! Oh, I forgot, he was a bad boy last night. He found a giant Hershey's kiss (the really huge novelty size), that my daughter didn't know was in her room, last night. He ate some of it and was running around with it in his mouth. It was almost as big as his head. Since chocolate is poisonous to dogs we were a little concerned and had to catch him to take it away. But he is fine.
I made this small quilt several years ago. I could not resist because it says "Joy" and my daughter's name is Joy. I love that the letters are made from Christmas objects.
Isn't my Christmas cactus beautiful? I bought it this year and it has bloomed constantlIy for about two weeks now. I have four different colors now. Red, fuchsia, lavendar, and white.
I found out last night that my SSCS benefactor is Jodie B. from Australia. I cannot wait to open my gift but I am holding out until Christmas Day. Jodie, if you are reading this, I cannot tell you how excited I am!! I will post photos of the gift as soon as I open it.
Julie

The Stockings Were Hung by the, well, ummm, Wall with Care

2008-12-15T21:26:00.000-05:00

I made the first stocking for Cabalito. Even chihuahuas need stockings!! The Nancy Halverson stockings I made last year for us. I thought the panel was so cute, and, again, I am a sucker for a panel. There were two more - and elf and an angel. I made those up for Joy and John Owen's cousins.
We have no fireplace so the wall just has to do. I hope you are enjoying the holidays. I am counting down the days. Only three more school days until Christmas holidays!! Woo hoo. This weekend I hope to get you up to date on my mystery quilt progress. - Julie

Advent Calendar

2008-12-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

This quilt is an advent calendar from a Nancy Halverson panel. (I am a sucker for a cute panel.) It had cut out ornaments that you fused to black felt with a cord hanger to put on each button as the days go by. My two kids take turns picking out ornaments to put on the calendar. I just love this one and had so much fun machine quilting it.
We went to see a local production of A Christmas Carol tonight. It was such a good performance. One of my students was in it, as well as two friends. They did not disappoint and we are still smiling from the good mood and Christmas cheer that was contagious at that event. Hooray for the New Horizon Theater players!!
Julie

And I thought Hawaii was part of the USA!!

2008-12-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

Didn't you think Hawaii was the 50th state? I know that it used to be. What happened to it? Was there a revolution and Hawaii won its Independence? The reason I ask is because of a message left on my cell phone today. I tried to order some candy to send to a friend that lives in Hawaii. I went online last night to Heaton Pecan Farms (Clanton, Alabama) and placed an online order. Today they called. Their message said, "Hello, Mrs. Stewart, this is Heaton Pecan Farm. We only ship to the United States so we won't be shipping your package to 'Hiwarya'. Please call 1-800 etc.. if you have any questions." Of course, I would love to call them back and tell them that "Hiwarya" is in the United States but they are on Central Time and I can only make calls during my planning period which is between 7 AM and 8 AM Central Time. I had an appointment immediately after work today and didn't get home until after they closed. I am amazed at the ignorance of some people. Today I contacted another company and they have no problem shipping to Hawaii. Good!!
At the top is a Santa Quilt I made in a class at Quilts and Fixins in Jonesboro, Georgia. It is one of those fusible grid quilts where you place all the squares of fabric on the grid, iron it down, then sew across all the grids. It was fun to do but not fun enough to do again!
Julie

Christmas Present and Nativity Scene

2008-12-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

I came home from work one day to find my old bed replaced with this new one. There is also a nightstand and dresser. I have been wanting this sleigh bed for several years and was so surprised to find it here! Cabalito seems to approve. He insists on being in all photos if at all possible.
The quilt on the bed is from a class I took when I first started quilting. It is called Thrifty Stars and I think it makes a nice Christmas quilt. It was machine quilted by my friend Cindy Wall.
I don't know what blogger is doing. All the above text was blue and underlined. I got rid of the blue, but can't make it not underlined. Weird. I also cannot drag the photos around like I normally do. Why? I guess I will never know.
Anyway, my mom pulled this old nativity scene out a couple of years ago and gave it to me. It is one that she and I made in ceramics back in 1979. It is in pretty good shape except that an ear is broken off the donkey and a sheep. I have them cleverly turned so that you can't see the missing ears. I love it because it reminds me of Christmas past. In 1979 I was 14 years old. Now my kids love it and they enjoy setting it out for me. I am glad that it is becoming a tradition for them too.

I plan to show some more photos of Christmas items that I have made soon. Don't touch that dial!!
Julie

Ten More School Days Until Christmas Break!

2008-12-04T23:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am counting them down! Our last school day is December 18th and then we are off until January 5th. I am so looking forward to the time at home. I hope to get my sewing room organized. Wish me luck there - I have been meaning to do it for several years now. My problem is that when I get down there I don't want to spend that precious time organizing, I want to sew!!
I just returned from my guild Christmas party at Flavin Glover's house. As usual it was a lot of fun. I didn't bring my camera and so have no pictures. Everything was beautiful and there was plenty of good sweet and salty snacks. Perfect. I took some roasted pecans and I have some leftover which I will share with my coworkers tomorrow.
Well, have a good Friday. I am so glad tomorrow is Friday. Hooray!!
Julie

Mystery Quilt Advent Calendar

2008-12-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

Hi. I am doing a mystery Advent quilt with Marion at Villa Kunterbunt. I thought you might like to check it out and join in. I LOVE mysteries and this one looks as if it will be quick and fun. The finished product wil be only about 27" by 27". You will need red, green, and white fabrics. Visit Marion's blog and read about it and let me know if you decide to join in.

Julie

December is Here!

2008-12-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

Here is the December block from my Sunbonnet Sue Throughout the year quilt. Isn't she cute? We put our tree up today after school and it is decorated!! I bought a few gifts already. I just love Christmas! And, only 13 more school days until Christmas Break!!!
Julie