It's the Little Things. . .

I'm going to be "Sewciable" tomorrow . . .

2012-02-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow (Saturday, 2/11) is Fabric Town's "Quilt Sewcial" event. A 12-hour day of nothing but sewing, eating and visiting with friends! We meet twice a year at the Old Chicago Conference Center in Apple Valley -- 30+ ladies doing what they love! No cooking, no cleaning and no interruptions! And, we even have a massage therapist who does chair massages --- one of the "Sewcialites" nicknamed him -- Stevie Wonderhands!!!

Sew.... (sorry, I couldn't resist) .... I decided it was time to dip into that bin of "Projects in Progress" and see what I could take with me and complete! I picked 5 projects -- a baby quilt, a wall hanging, 2 throws and a quilt that falls somewhere between double and queen size. I would love to get at least four of the five projects completed .... one of the throws is at it's early stages so I'm not sure just how far I can get on that one.

Gary and Mom will be hanging here at home .... now play nice, ya'll!

Well, I better scoot and get myself to bed. I have to be at the conference center at 7 a.m. to help set up. I'll let you know what I get done!

Patti

Yay --- A Quilt Retreat!!!!

2012-01-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go on a quilt retreat with a bunch of great ladies. Three days of quilting, food and fun! Oh, yeah! I decided I was going start working on those "in progress" projects and packed up 15 projects to work on. I know, it sounds ambitious, but some of the projects only required adding a border or two.

By Sunday afternoon, I had finished 11 out of 15 of my projects. Here they are:

No. 1: This one is for my grandson, Liam -- he LOVES HotWheels!! I purchased the fabric not knowing what the quilt was going to look like -- I knew it needed to be a twin so I started with the center and worked my way out. The center is a black and white check (like a finish flag) and I plan on adding his name using machine embroidery applique. I'm also going to order a pantograph of race cars and finish flags. I have enough fabric left to make him a coordinating pillowcase! I can't wait to see his face when he sees it for the first time.

No. 2: This will end up being a wall hanging. I added extra green fabric to the sides so it would measure the same width as the sunflower topper.

No. 3: This throw is made with 3 Sisters fabrics. I only had to add the two red side borders and cornerstones.

No. 4: I started this one at the last retreat I attended two years ago. Again, it just needed the outer borders and it was done. Fabrics are by American Jane.

No. 5: A jelly roll quilt using a Roll Play by Pieced Tree Patterns. I had to add both the inner and outer borders to this one. I realized I didn't have enough of the outer border so I took a table topper I had made using leftovers from the jelly roll strips and "unpieced" it to form the cornerstones.

No. 6: This quilt is from a Terry Atkinson book -- I think it's called "Big Jake" ... it's not quite big enough to use as a quilt on a double/full size bed but could be folded and laid across the bottom of the bed. I'd like to finish this one and give it to my Mom for her bed. I'm envisioning some pretty feathers in those big white spaces.

No. 7: I taught a "Saturday Scrappers" class at my "favorite LQS" (Fabric Town in Apple Valley --- I just happen to work there as well) -- and the block used in this quilt was one I shared with the class. I made up several blocks and designed my own quilt. I love this quilt and can't wait to get it finshed and displayed in my living room.

No. 8: This sweet little quilt is for my great-neice, Harper Grace! (Don't you love that name -- it sounds so "southern") I used "Yellow Brick Road" by Atkinson Designs and a funky & bright floral collection. I don't remember the name of the fabric line. I did get this one quilted and will be doing the binding over the next few days. Watch for pictures!!!

No. 9: A cozy flannel quilt for Mom. She saw this one last January after I finished quilting one for the shop as a sample ... now she'll have one of her own.

No. 10: A cute wall hanging from the book "Sew One and You're Done" ... I used some 3 Sisters fabrics. I keep looking at it wondering if I need to add a border or just bind it in a red fabric. What do you think?

No. 11: Ooops ... no picture of this one. No. 11 was a table runner I had quilted using a Civil War cheater fabric. The binding was already sewn to th front of the runner, I just had to do the hand sewing to the back.

So, not bad for a three day retreat. The next one is in April --- wonder what I can get done then!

Patti

It's been HOW long?????

2012-01-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I only had a handful of posts in the last year. But then, since August it has been a bit crazy. We moved my Mom up from MI to live with us, my daughter, SIL and grandson can to visit in September, Mom and I celebrated our joint birthday in October and then the holidays hit in November and December. Oh, I think about posting something new, but then it seems time just gets away from me. My goal this year is to be a bit more active with my blog ... both this one and my professional blog (www.quiltsfromthetrail.com/blog).

I took off the weeks before and after Christmas from my quilting business -- the week "before" so I could enjoy the holiday with my family; the week "after" to get my quilting studio cleaned up and organized. Part of the organization included going through bins that I have stacked in a room that I call "The Fabric Room". Not only do I have a closet full of fabric, neatly folded and organized by color, but STACKS of plastic bins lining the room that contain even more fabric.

Here's a look at my fabric stash in the closet. I've been collecting fabric since the early '90s so I have quite a bit as you can see. The top shelf has primarily novelty fabrics -- seasonal, kids, etc. I don't know if I'll ever sew it all up in my lifetime. I told my daughter that it is her inheritance. She said, "Just leave me instructions!" My response, "Oh, that's not a problem -- it's called books and patterns, honey!"

Here are the multitude of bins -- they contain fat quarters, yardage -- all categorized by either designer (Robyn Pandolph, 3 Sisters, Amy Butler, etc.) or size (three of the bins are just assorted fat quarters.

Then there are the "project" bins .... I've had the bins sorted by "Kits" (2), "To Be Quilted"(3), "To Be Bound", "Handquilting", etc. for a while but never really went through them to see what I had in each ... until recently. I decided to go through the "Kits" and "To Be Quilted" bins and see exactly what each bin contained.

Here's what I found:

Kits: 1 baby quilt, 1 pillowcase, 2 pincushions, 1 Queen quilt, 2 table runners, 7 throws/lap quilts, 4 table toppers, 4 tote bags, 1 Twin quilt, 1 wall hanging, and a Merry Beary stuffed bear kit (this one is from around 1992).

To Be Quilted: These are projects for which I have a backing -- 1 baby quilt, 1 queen quilt, 9 throw/lap quilts, 3 twin quilts, and 2 wall hangings. There are also another 25 or so projects that I don't have backs for yet.

Projects To Be Bound: Here's the sad thing on these -- most of them have bindings already made and ready to sew on...one just needs to be sewn to the back. In this bin we have -- 3 baby quilts, 2 table runners, 3 throws, 2 table toppers, and 8 wall hangings.

Projects in Progress: These are projects I started but either got bored with them or was too anxious to start a new project and set them aside. In this category we have -- 6 baby quilts, 2 twin quilts, 2 double/full quilts, 3 queen quilts, 6 table runners, 6 table toppers, 6 pillows (Folded Pillows by Patchworks of Sayville, NY -- www.patchworks.com), 1 tote bag, 5 wall hangings and -- drumroll, please -- 27 throws!!!

So, this year's goal is not only to blog more but to get all of these projects done .... pieced, quilted and bound!!! I should be able to do pretty well on both of these goals as I'll be posting the projects as I complete them.

Oh ... and then there are my knitting projects .... we won't go there right now!

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

Patti

Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap: July

2011-07-30T16:58:00.001-07:00

I recently joined an Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap online. Each month I send someone on the list two hexie flowers in the colors of they've chosen and I in turn receive one or two flowers from another person on the list. There are about 60 people participating in the swap. The members are from all over the world: USA, Australia, Canada, the UK, Croatia, Denmark, The Netherlands, Spain, Iceland, and even, India!

I received the two striped hexie flowers from Karily P in Idaho and the red/gold hexie flower is from Linda McC. in Ontario, Canada (according to my list I should have received Linda's in September...she's just a little early!).

I'll be sending two hexie flowers out to Christine in New South Wales, Australia on Monday.

I think this swap is going to be a lot of fun and interesting to see the fabrics that come from around the world!

Have a great weekend!

Patti

That Doesn't Look Good . . . .

2011-07-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, we are in the process of replacing our driveway. We had a crew here last Friday tearing out the old asphalt drive. It left us with a nice gravel/dirt driveway that makes me feel like I'm living out in the country.

G's cousin is doing the driveway replacement this week. He and his son came over tonight to take a look at the front left corner of the garage -- we had a couple of huge gaping holes that they wanted to check out. After digging down about 2 ft. they found this:

They will be digging out the entire front of the garage to see just how far the cinderblock failure runs. We also noticed a hole on the front left of our porch which they're also going to dig out and see what's going on.

Hopefully, by the end of this week, we'll have a beautiful cement driveway....rain, rain stay away!!!!!!

Later,

Repurpose......

2011-06-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I was at a garage sale when I came across what was left of a young girls bedroom set. You know the kind ... back in the 60's or 70's when every little girl wanted a big canopy bed with the matching desk, dresser and chair! I picked up the dresser, desk and chair for the bargain price of $10.00 for all three pieces. The finish looked like an antique white with these little blue and yellow flowers on the drawer fronts. Not exactly my decor style so I proceeded to paint all three pieces white. The dresser and desk were both missing knobs ... they were those white porcelain knobs with very vintage feel. I took the knobs from the desk to fill in the missing spaces on the dresser; and replaced the desk knobs with new "brushed nickle" ones.

My my recently made the decision to move from Michigan to Minnesota and will be moving in with me and hubby. As a result, I needed to empty our office/paper crafting room and guest room so they could both be painted and refinish the floors. Mom will end up in the former craft room and my craft room will move to the former guest room. (Hubby's office moved to the basement.) So, I had to figure out what to do with this little desk. I didn't really have any room for it anywhere else in the house, but I didn't want to get rid of it. What should I do? So I started thinking .......maybe I could cut off the right side of the desk and just keep the half with the drawers. So hubby and I got to work. After a little bit of wood putty, sanding, priming and painting ... then a little bit of distress work .... we came up with this little beauty!

The new "chest" now resides in our living room next to my chair where it hides my knitting projects as well as some other needlecraft handwork (embroidery and English paper piecing). I really love how it turned out.

What have you recently repurposed in your home?

Happy crafting,

Patti

Hexie Fever

2011-06-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

My newest obsession ... 1" hexies.

If you're not familiar with English paper piecing, you start out with a cardstock shape - hexagons, triangles, diamonds, etc. Then baste fabric around the hexie paper. And finally, hand sew your hexies together to make a beautiful quilt top!

I'm starting out with Civil War reproduction fabrics for my "flower petals" with a solid black Kona cotton center. My plans are for this to be a quilt for my bed ... well, mine and hubby's! I've already calculated that I need 1,612 hexies for my quilt ... which also means I need about 230 "flowers". As you can see from my picture I've already got a start ... and I have another 23 flowers to add. So, let's see ... that means I only have another 199 flowers to put together!

I already have plans for other hexie projects using fabrics from lines like Three Sisters and French General. One day....

I recently joined an online "inchy hexagon flower" swap. A lot of the participants in the swap are from Australia and New Zealand, but there are also some from Croatia, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Denmark..to name a few. I'm really excited to be participating in the swap and look forward to all the "inchy hexagon flowers" I'll be receive in the future!

Have a great weekend!

Patti

I'm so ready for Spring!

2011-02-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting here looking out my patio window, my rocking chair buried in the snow. There's an awful lot of snow out there and I know there's only more to come. February is our snowiest month here in Minnesota. But I can sit here and dream of when the snow is all gone, the grass is green and my flower beds are alive with color! I've been thinking about making some changes to my flower beds. Expanding some...getting rid of others. I'd even like to plant some vegetables this spring .... tomatoes, green peppers, maybe even some green beans. Maybe I should pull out some of my gardening books and start planning. Maybe even order some seed catalogs. There's so much possibility!

Spring must be just around the corner .... unfortunately, right now, looking at all the snow .... maybe it will get here in June!

Stay warm,
Patti

I've been a bit preoccupied . . .

2010-08-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

. . . with working on "web stuff" for my business! In addition to working on completing my customer's quilts and getting them back into their hands so they can get the binding on their finished projects!

I spent pretty much the entire day "working my business" .....
I uploaded over 200 pictures to my Webshots account (http://community.webshots.com/user/quiltsfrmthetrail -- yes, I know the "o" is missing in the word "from" -- misspelled it when I set up the account and now I can't change it!) in addition to working on redesigning my website using squarespace.com's program. (My current website is www.quiltsfromthetrail.com if you'd like to check it out.) And then I had to do my weekly blog for my "business" blog -- quiltsfromthetrail.blogspot.com. I don't think I'll be able to look at my laptop screen at all tomorrow!

I can't believe there are only 10 days left in this month. Summer is rushing past and will soon be over. But, oddly, I don't seem to mind because Autumn has to be my favorite time of year. The crisp, cool air -- the leaves changing into their brilliant fall colors... According to the calendar, Autumn officially begins September 23rd, so I guess I had better enjoy these next four and a half weeks of summer before they're just a memory.

Hope you enjoy too!

Patti

BTW -- My knee is feeling nearly 100%. Still a little "popping" now and then, but for now, I can live with it! Gotta love "modern medicine".

A great little bag . . .

2010-07-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

I decided to pull out my copy of Terry Atkinson's "Big Bags, Little Bags" and make this great little black and white tote/handbag. It was super easy to make -- took me about 3.5 hours start to finish. I did make some modifications to Terry's pattern. Here are two shots of the front and side of the bag. I stitched a tuck in each side to pull the the top of the purse in a little -- just so it didn't "gap" on the sides.

Then I added a little zippered pocket (featured on another bag in the book). I also love the handles on the bag ... the coordinating fabric sewn to the handles just gives it a little "designer touch" as Terry says.

I'm thinking of adding a little tab that goes from back to front with a magnetic closure just for a little added "security".

Terry's patterns are so quick, easy and FUN to make up. My next project will be the newer "Pockets to Go".

Have a great day!

Patti

How cute is this.....

2010-03-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our granddaughter, Harmonie celebrated her 7th birthday in Florida with her Mom and Dad back in February. We didn't get to celebrate before she left.... so, she and her mom are coming over today so we can have a late celebration.

When I asked Mom what Harmonie wanted for her birthday, I was told -- "A bed for Molly" (her American Girl doll). Mom told me the beds were $80 at the American Girl store and that Toys 'r Us had a bunkbed set on their website but were sold out. I checked eBay and found a cute little unfinished pine single bed for $30 (shipping was an additional $15). I thought about getting it but then realized I'd still have to paint/stain it and then make bedding! Not gonna happen -- just don't have the time! So, I checked out the American Girl website and found that "Molly's" bed was only $58 and IT CAME WITH BEDDING! Not only a mattress, pillow and spread but a cute little throw pillow AND rug. How cute is this......

Then wanted to do something using my Cricut Expressions machine ..... I've seen these cute little name signs using adhesive backed vinyl . So I picked up a frame at IKEA for $10 and used a bit of fairy princess fabric I have set aside for a quilt for Harmonie. I cut her name out and added a little flower over the "i"..... I even added a little "bling" to the flower center with some "crystal" emblishments. So maybe for Christmas, I'll make both Harmonie and "Molly" matching quilts ..... may need to do a "slipcover" for Molly's headboard too!

Patti

Too cute to pass up . . .

2010-02-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

I stopped into Goodwill a couple of weeks ago and found this adorable little chair hidden underneath a comforter. Not sure if someone was "hiding" it and planning to come back for it later, but when I saw it I couldn't pass it up. Besides the price tag was pretty sweet too -- $4.25! Then I got an extra 10% off because I carried it out to my car myself .

As I started removing the seat cover, I noticed another layer of fabric. By the time I was done, there were four layers of fabric. In between two of the layers was some type of cotton batting - it looked nothing like any batting I'm familiar with as a quilter. The final padding layer wasn't like anything I have come across either - very compressed - and almost like cotton "plywood".

I picked up a quart of black semi-gloss paint at Walmart for less than $10.00 and I barely used any of it to paint the chair. The fabric was out of my stash and I used leftover batting from previous quilting project for the padding.

I think it came out pretty nice. Not sure where I'm going to set it just yet, but I'm sure I'll find a corner where it will look perfect!

I'm hoping to tackle a couple of more projects over the next week or so that have been placed on the back burner. I had to send my "baby" to the manufacturer in Iowa for some major repairs so I won't be able to work on customer quilts until she comes back sometime next week.

So don't be surprised if you see a few more projects posted over the next few days! I'm not planning on going out anywhere as this is what it looks like in our "neck of the woods".

Keep warm!

Patti

Where has the Summer gone?

2009-08-31T17:58:00.001-07:00

I can't believe tomorrow is September 1st! Where did August go? Forget August, where did SUMMER go? Temps the last few days have been in the 60s to 70s with lows down to 51 at night. You can almost smell "Fall" in the air. But, that's okay .... Fall is my favorite time of year! Give me a crisp, sunny day with a few light clouds in a beautiful blue sky. . . Leaves turning to those beautiful shades of gold, crimson, and orange. . . Pumpkins laying in the fields ready to be picked. . . But then, around here, Fall doesn't last long enough. It's quickly followed by the dreaded "Minnesota Winter". . . . okay, I'm not ready to go there yet, so let's change the subject.

I've been keeping pretty busy the last few weeks -- I've had lots of customer quilts to get done before the end of the month. Business has been so good that I'm already booked for the entire month of September and have started booking quilts for October. I love seeing all of the great projects my customers bring me . . . but what's even better is seeing the look on their faces when they see their quilt transformed by the quilting. Here's a couple of examples:

This belongs to Karen D'A. -- this is her first quilt that she made about a year ago. She told me she was planning on using it as a table cloth; but when she picked it up she couldn't believe how it had changed. Her response: "I don't think I can use this as a table cloth now; it's too beautiful!"

This is one of my favorite blocks from the quilt . . .

As well as this one!

Here's a quilt by Sandy D. This one is a sample for the quilt shop where I work (Fabric Town, Apple Valley, MN). Sandy always does such a beautiful job with applique. This particular quilt was completed with machine applique -- blanket stitch....I was particularly amazed at how she even stitched around the words.

I also pulled out an old knitting project this week. I had started knitting a "Booga Bag" (http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga_bag.html) last winter. I don't have a whole lot left to knit on the bag -- maybe a couple of more inches. Once I get the i-cord strap made, I can go through the felting process.

This is one I made last year out of Cascade 220 wool and Nashua Handknits Wooly Stripes. I got distracted while this was felting in the washing machine and it ended up going through an entire 15 minute cycle. I was hoping it would be a little bigger than it is, but it does make a cute little purse. I still want to line it with a light green/cream polka-dot fabric and maybe add a magnetic snap. The worst part of the project --- pounding those stupid grommets . . .

I suppose I should end this post. I have the latest issue of Quilt Sampler magazine sitting just a few feet away from me, calling my name to come look through it's pages. A nice cup of tea and I'll be set to go . . .

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Patti

Ta-Da!!! Here they are . . .

2009-08-11T08:42:00.001-07:00

. . . the pictures I promised you. A little late . . . sorry!

First up is a quilt top that I pulled from one of my "To Be Quilted" bins. I pieced this 70" square quilt top in 1994. It's a watercolor log cabin. Notice the MAUVE centers in the blocks. I couldn't afford to have it quilted back then, so I just held on to it. I quilted it using a pantograph pattern called "Florine's Flowers" (which looks rather "watercolory" -- is that a word?) and used a variegated thread in pastel pinks, yellows, blues, and greens. Finished it off with a 3/4" finished binding. I think it looks great!

Next I quilted a throw that I made as a sample for Fabric Town. We got some charm squares in and they weren't selling; so, I made this quick and easy throw. We'll be putting together a kit this week for this sweet little quilt. The colors in the quilt are yummy -- chocolate browns, cherry reds, pinks, and soothing aquas ! I quilted it using a new pantograph I recently purchased called "Hyacinth - Grande" -- very botanical! I used a tan thread so it would blend nicely with all of the colors in the quilt.

I also had a chance to finish up a top that I had started a couple of years ago called "Brick by Brick". It's very scrappy and uses primarily 4 x 7.5 inch "bricks" to make up the blocks. Watch for pictures of that one too! And, I finished up the blocks in another throw I had started back in April using a jelly roll pack from the "Snippets" line by American Jane fabrics. I got the blocks sewn together and started putting on the borders. Maybe I'll get than one finished up this weekend!

So, you see I had a VERY productive weekend working on MY stuff . . . something I don't get to do all that often.

Now it's back to working on customer quilts this week! I actually quilted four projects yesterday -- okay, so three of them were baby-sized quilts, but still . . . that's four less customer projects to get done this week!

Later,

Patti

It's All About ME. . .

2009-08-08T12:43:00.001-07:00

. . . this weekend, that is! I've decided that I'm going to start making the weekends MINE! That means no working on customer quilts and then leaving myself with no time to do any of the things I want to do!

No this isn't me -- but "she" is so cute ..... mmmm, makes me think of ice cream!

I've decided to pull out some of the quilt tops I've pieced and start quilting them and getting the bindings on them as well. Already this morning I finished one small lap quilt and am almost finished with another top! One of the tops is from those "dreaded blue bins" I mentioned in a previous post. I was even able to find a suitable backing for it in my "Backing" bin! You'll have to wait until tomorrow nite to see what I've accomplished this weekend! For now, I better get back downstairs and finish quilting the one on the machine.

Have a great weekend!

Patti

We made it through the weekend . . .

2009-08-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

My "busy weekend" is over and it's back to my normal routine! We had a great time with Harmonie on Saturday. We went and saw "G-Force" . . . Harmonie loved it and thought it was very funny! Papa and I agreed it was a cute movie, but definitely not one we'd rush out to buy when it comes out on DVD! After the movie we went to a local 50's-style diner and had dinner. Then on to Walmart to pick up hair accessories for Harmonie!

Saturday night, after Harmonie's bath, I braided her hair into about 20 little braids. She wanted it to be "wavy" when she woke up Sunday morning. When we took the braids out, it was definitely wavy, but not quite the overall effect we were looking for. . .

. . . so after a little water, blow drying it and then using the curling iron, we came up with a much better hairstyle! Harmonie loved it and couldn't wait to show it off to Mommy and Daddy when they picked her up in the afternoon!

So, now the weekend is over and I'm looking at my schedule for the week -- dentist appointment at 3:00 today, see my chiropractor three times this week, work on website updates for the quilt shop, I'm working at the quilt shop on Friday and in between I have about, oh lets see . . . seven quilts I need to get finished this week! Oh my, and here I thought I'd have a relaxing week.

I better get going and get some quilting done!

Later,

Patti

Busy Weekend Ahead . . .

2009-07-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

The weekend has started and it's going to be a busy one!

Saturday morning and early afternoon will be spent finishing up the reorganization of my quilting studio. I cleaned out and reorganized the "bedroom" in the basement -- I actually refer to it as my "Fabric Room". Here's a couple of pictures that should explain why. . .

That's fabric in the bins stacked on both sides of the shelf . . . not to mention BOLTs of fabric on the shelves.....

On the shelf -- projects in various states of completion.

The clear bins on the right contain more fabric -- including the leftover yardage from two king size quilts I made as wedding presents for two of our kids, as well as our youngest granddaughter's baby quilt and our grandson's baby quilt.

Then there are the dreaded "blue bins":

Two bins contain the "quilt tops" (ranging in size from table toppers to twin bed) that need to be layered with batting and backing and quilted.

Three bins contain "kits" -- kits I bought for projects I saw at quilt shops over the years, or fabric I've pulled together to make a specific project and put into a bag)

One bin contains quilted items just waiting for the binding to finish off the edges

Then there's my closet containing yardage of fabrics I've collected over the last 16 years or so. Sadly, this picture doesn't show ALL of it ....there's more hiding behind that striped curtain on the left. I jokingly told my daughter that this was her inheritance -- she didn't think it was funny!

But, after I get finished with my morning/early afternoon projects, it will be time for some fun!

Yep, we're taking our granddaughter, Harmonie to see "G-Force" . . . we're all pretty excited as we saw the previous a month or so ago when we went to see "Up".

Then Sunday, I work from Noon - 5pm at the quilt shop. The "Quilt Minnesota" state-wide quilt shop hop started today and runs through August 14th; so, it should be pretty busy in the shop with it being the first weekend of the hop!

Hurry Monday - so I can get some rest!

Have a safe and fun weekend!

Patti

I'm feeling like a slug . . .

2009-07-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

. . . just cuz I haven't posted in a while. It's not that I've not been busy, because I have . . . quilting customer quilts, working at the quilt shop, quilting customer quilts, cleaning house, quilting customer quilts . . . well, you get the picture! I've not had a chance to hit any garage sales in the last couple of weeks or even stop by the Goodwill Store! I think I'm experiencing withdrawal!

Oh, well, maybe next weekend I'll get out there!

Have a great weekend!

Patti

I'm Baaaaack!!!!!

2009-07-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? Seems like forever since I've blogged or even looked at other people's blogs. The last few weeks have been spent getting ready for vacation, going on vacation, and now, trying to get out of "vacation mode".

But I got to see these two:

That's Liam and Daddy (Kevin) playing in the pool and then Izzie. We had only seen pictures of Izzie and she's much more beautiful in person!

We had a wonderful time visiting with our daughter, Ruth, her hubby, Kevin (they drove in from Long Island, NY); our son, Scott, and his wife, Steffi. We also had a wonderful time with Steffi's parents, Konrad and Brigitte, who live directly across the street.

So now we're back and I'm trying to get back into my routine again! I haven't gone to any garage/yard sales or to the Goodwill over the past few weeks; however I did stop at the Goodwill store last night. Picked up a couple of items but I'll have to show you those later!

Until then,

Patti

Goodwill Bargains!

2009-06-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today was "50% off Blue Tags" day at Goodwill! I have the Goodwill Store calendar on my refrigerator so I knew I was going to be there before the doors opened!

I was on the hunt for white stoneware so I was excited when I found quite a few pieces. Not everything had a 'blue tag' but the prices were still pretty good!

Here's what I came home with - the white shelf was $3.99; flared "pedestal" $0.99; the other one -- $0.99 as well; two white plates -- $0.99 each but 1/2 price so $0.99 for both. The striped pillow was $3.99 but had a "blue tag" so $2.00.
Then there was the "Hand Towels" wooden bin -- $2.99; the white rectangular baking dish with lid $2.99; the ceramic butter dish $2.99 (looks like it was a "closeout buyer" deal from Target); two little ceramic trays - $1.99 each but "blue tag" so both for the price of one! The teacups (I'm collecting teacups and saucers for a project which I'll share with you later) $1.99 each but one was "blue tag" so $1.00 for it. Then there is the red plastic "bowl" with a lid. It has some cute "sunflowers" around the bowl and on the lid, but you can hardly see them. I'm thinking this will look fabulous painted white and will make a nice storage bin for some smaller household items.

Now, for the BIG BARGAIN of the day ..... this chair for my bedroom!!! When Mom and I first arrived at the store, the doors weren't opened for business; but, I was peeking through the door and saw they had a lot of new furniture down the center aisle. I knew exactly where I was heading when the doors opened. The chair looks brand new -- I won't have to reupholster this one! Burgundy velvet swivel/rocker for, are you ready . . . $30!!!! And, the pillow above -- looks like it was made for the chair. Now I have a nice quiet place where I can go sit and read or do some needlework while hubby sits in the living room watching TV. I can't wait to use my little quiet spot!

Check out other great thrifty finds at Rhoda's "Thrifty Treasures"! I'll be heading over there myself!

Patti

Look what's for dinner tonight!!!!!

2009-06-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm - mmmmm!!! Look what's for dinner tonight!!! Pinto beans, cornbread and fried taters!!!! I know my sister's are gonna be jealous when they see this --- but if they're good, maybe I'll save some for them! Or, maybe not!

I was raised on "southern cooking" -- Momma and Daddy were from southeastern Kentucky. So meals like this were quite common when we were growing up! Hubby practically "begged" my mom to make him some pinto beans before she heads back to Michigan on Tuesday.

In the infamous words of Alton Brown on the Food Network Channel ..... "Good Eats!"

Patti

My First Time 'Yard Sale"-ing

2009-06-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

For years I've always talked about wanting to "hit the yard sales", but it seemed like all we did was slowly drive by and say, "Don't see anything!" But after reading other blogs about some of the things being found at yard sales, thrift shops and "junking" . . . I knew this was something I had to get in on!

My mom is visiting from Michigan so I dragged her out with me today! Out of nine yard sales, we found some great bargains at four.

I found these little chairs for $1 each -- I'm going to use the red one in my dining room to set a plant on; the yellow one is going to go out in one of my flower beds. I thought my grandson, Liam, would enjoy the book of nursery rhymes. I'm hoping to find a white candle holder that I can use as a base under the little bowl. Garage Sale #1 Total: $3.00

The next stop I found this cute little shirt for my granddaughter, Harmonie. As I got ready to pay for the shirt, I noticed the cake stand and platter -- they just begged me to take them home! Garage Sale #2 Total: $5.00

The next stop I found this darling little white lamp with a yellow shade and pink gingham trim. The price tag indicated it was a "Pottery Barn Lamp". I just checked out the Pottery Barn Kids website -- looks like similar styled lamp bases sell for $49 and another $10 for the shades. The mirror is from Target and measures about 24" x 24" -- checked out Target's website and looks like mirror that size run $40 or more. I'm sure I'll end up painting the frame and hang it in our bedroom. Then there are the wooden trucks and cars --- my daughter loves toys like this for Liam. She avoids buying anything plastic if she can . . . so when I saw these in a bag marked $3 it was a "no-brainer". When I went to pay for everything I only had $10 in my pocket; I asked the gal running the sale if she'd take $10 and was told, "Ummmm, no . . . I really need the $12." Hey, still a pretty good deal in my opinion! Garage Sale #3 Total: $12

The last stop I found a lot of beautiful things. This gal had all kinds of antiques and even had some Jim Shore figurines -- for $40 I could have gotten this snowman (http://www.jimshore.com/shop/p-3210-boy-snowman-figurineret.aspx); but then this website sells it for the same price! But I did find the Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt for Liam, the red and white striped top (with price tags still attached to the arm) for Izzy and a teacup and saucer. Garage Sale #4 Total: $11.25

So, you can see I made quite the haul for a mere $31.25!! With success like this, you can be sure I'll be back out there again!!! Just remembered -- this Sunday and Monday all "blue tagged" items are 50% off! Will definitely check that out as well!

Think I'll put my feet up for a while . . . it's been a busy day!

Check out other "Thrifty Treasures" at Rhoda's "Southern Hospitality" blog http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/

Patti

My Little Loves

2009-06-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love being a "Nana" . . . when we first heard we were going to be grandparents, my hubby said, "We're too young to be 'Grandma and Grandpa' . . .". We decided we were going to be "Nana & Papa" instead. The only problem . . . we don't get to see them enough.

Isabelle ("Izzy") is in Pennsylvania . . .

Liam is in New York . . .

Harmonie . . . she's here in Minnesota . . . only 20 minutes away. But it seems like we don't get to see her nearly enough!

Papa did get to attend Harmonie's recent graduation from Kindergarten . . . she's grown up so fast!

Even though Liam and Izzy are so far away, we so grateful for the internet and web cams! We even have a trip planned to go out and see them soon! I'm so excited . . . I can't wait!!!

I once saw a bumper sticker that said . . . "If I had known grandchildren would be so much fun, I would have had them first!"

Yes, I love them so much . . . "My Little Loves".....

Patti

I LOVE White Ceramic Ware!

2009-06-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I was talking on the phone with my sister who lives in Michigan. She informed me that she was "very disappointed" that I hadn't blogged in a while! I tried to explain I have been really busy this week but she didn't want to accept my excuse . . . so, here you go, Sis!

Here's a picture of a platter I picked up at a local thrift shop called Chaps. I didn't see the signs when I walked in -- everything was 50%! Walked out the door paying only $1.30! It didn't fit in with my big wall display in the living room, so this one hangs in the dining room next to the patio door!

Headed over to Goodwill and found these this past Wednesday! The cashier asked me if get "the discount"; when I asked, "What discount?", she said, "The 'Senior Discount'!" I was honest and told her "no" . . . I'm just 52 but I guess my hair made her ask the question! The platter was $5, the creamer .99 cents, the cup and saucer $2 and the little bird print and frame $2. I was thinking of painting the frame black and putting some scrapbook paper and our last name initial in place of the picture! I'll be sure to post when I finally figure out what I'm going to do with it!

Found these at TJ Maxx -- all of the plates were in the Clearance section -- the two blue plates were $2 each, the square embossed plate was $4 and the white serving platter $5. I did pay full price for the black plate rack -- $5. I set the platter on the plate rack and have that in my kitchen. Still trying to decide where I want to hang the other plates.

Remember the little gravy tureen I found a couple of weeks ago -- here it is on my kitchen counter. The soup tureen was given to me last year by my daughter when she was visiting from NY. Her grandmother gave it to her but she decided she didn't want it (it wasn't her "style"). I told her I would take it even though I had no idea what I would do with it. Now I'm scouring thrift shops and garage sales for any white ceramic plates and kitchen ware I can find!

Check out more thrifty treasures on Rhoda's Southern Hospitality blog http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/ .

Come back and visit soon!

Patti

A Busy Week . . .

2009-06-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

First, I want to wish a belated "Happy Anniversary" to my big sis and her hubby of 42 years!!! Congratulations and I love you both!!!

It’s been a busy week around here . . . what with my mom coming in from Michigan, driving up north to my sister’s house to celebrate her birthday on Friday, an open house wedding reception for my nephew and his bride on Saturday, and back home on Sunday. Mom is spending the week with my sister and will be back sometime this weekend!

For now, it’s “pedal to the metal” time as I work to get this week's customer quilts completed before Mom comes back to my house. So far I’ve quilted four quilts and have at least three more to get done before Sunday!

His and Her's Quilts - Wedding presents for my customer's son and his bride

Sun Porch Throw - This customer didn't piece her quilt top; instead she brought me two pieces of decorator fabric that she wanted quilted together.

Flannel Trees - This customer is donating this cozy throw for a raffle to benefit rescued husky dogs.

Over the past few weeks I've been working on some "thrifty" home decor projects.

Project #1

I needed a "table" next to one of our recliners in the living room so I thought I could stack to baskets together. It didn't look so good . . .

So I decided to paint the top one white . . .yuk . . . you can still see those raised apples! I managed to hide those under a little bit of green grosgrain ribbon!

But then the top of the basket wasn't strong enough . . . or flat enough . . . to accommodate a beverage glass, so . . . I took a frame I picked up on clearance at Joann's for $2.50 and inserted a piece of 12x12 scrapbook paper. However, the paper wasn't quite big enough for the 11 x 14 frame so I just laid a couple of pieces of green grosgrain ribbon (from the basket project) at the ends! And - Ta-Da! Not too shabby . . . or should I say ... "shabby chic"?

Project #2

I also found that I love the look of this plate display that I found on "The Nester's" blog . . .

So, I found some plates at a couple of thrift stores and the clearance section of TJ Maxx.

The top square plate was $3.00 (TJ Maxx)
The two round ones below were$0.80 each - $1.60 (Thrift Store)
The small gold ones were $3.00 each -- $6.00 (TJ Maxx -- full price on these though)
Oval platter -- $1.50 (Thrift Store)
Two small square plates -- $1.00 each -- $2.00 (TJ Maxx)
Small round (matches gold plates) -- $2.00 (TJ Maxx)

TOTAL: $16.10

Oh - but wait -- I needed the plate hangers -- those were $3.00 each so that's another $27.00! Nearly $11 more than the plates themselves! But, what a great wall display I have for less than $50.00!!! I'm happy!

There's lots more to share but I'll have to save that for later !

Patti

Memorial Day and Bargains Galore!

2009-05-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate Memorial Day, I'd like to say, "Thank You" to those men and women who bravely serve in our armed forces and to those who gave their lives in service over the years! Your sacrifice is truly appreciated!
___

While running some errands earlier today, I decided to stop into two of my local thrift shops -- Goodwill and a store called Unique - proceeds from sales benefit the local Courage Center.

My first stop was Goodwill, where I found this basket (I already spray painted it white) (I'll use for my bathroom trash basket) and this beautiful white pitcher. I expected to pay the full price on both which would have come to a little over $5 with tax; however, I was pleasantly surprised when the cashier told me my total was just a few cents over $2. Apparently, everything in the store was 50% off today!

Later in the afternoon, I headed out for Joann's and decided to stop by Unique. I couldn't believe how packed the parking lot was when I arrived. As at Goodwill, everything in here was 50% off as well! Here's what I came home with:

Two pink mirrored candle sconces (planning to paint these white) $1.97
White stoneware gravy boat - minus the ladle - $1.97 (I'm thinking this will look cute sitting on a shelf with the opening for the ladle facing the back)
Two dishtowels - $0.73 for the solid red one; $0.47 for the white and red stripe one
Small silver plated dish - $0.81
TOTAL with tax: $6.25

I've never really thought about shopping thrift stores and garage sales for anything other than furniture. But over the last few weeks of reading other blogs and everyone sharing pictures of the treasures they have found, I decided I need to get out there as well!

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality is hosting her weekly thrifty treasures. Pop over there and check out more treasures her readers have found!

Have a wonderful week!

Patti

SEVEN MONTHS AGO????

2009-05-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been that long ago that I created my blog. I got it all set up with plans to update it on a regular basis and LIFE just seemed to get in the way!

It's now Spring in Minnesota! The trees have all leafed out and my perennials are growing bigger and bigger each day!

The huge lilac bush in my backyard has hit it's peak. The blooms are already starting to fade as well as the heady scent they once carried.

The Dianthus is starting to bloom.

And my peonies are getting tall with lots of buds.

Since my last post, our granddaughter, Harmonie, turned six!

Our grandson, Liam had his first birthday and is now 17 months old!

Liam emptied Mom's purse and found her "Hot Chocolate" flavored lip gloss!

And we welcomed the newest addition to our family, Isabelle ("Izzy"), in February.

Our son, Scott, Izzy, and daughter-in-law, Steffi

Customer quilts have been keeping me pretty busy the last few months. I recently had to take my APQS Millennium head down to the manufacturer in Iowa for a "tune-up"; only to find out I had some major repairs -- new motor, new wheels, new needle bar, etc. After being without my machine for nearly a week, I'm happy to say we're back up and running and she runs like a brand new machine!

I just want to say "Thanks" to my sister, Sue who introduced me to "blogs". I can't believe how "addicted" I am . . . you know, it starts with one blog and then you start looking at their "Favorites" and then the "Favorites" for their blogs . . . and it just spirals until you can't remember the name of the first blog you were originally reading! My latest discoveries have been people like "The Nester" at The Nesting Place, Edie at Life In Grace, Rhoda at Southern Hospitality and Layla at The Lettered Cottage. These ladies, as well as many others, have truly inspired me! I've gleaned a lot of wonderful, and inexpensive, decorating ideas from all of these sites and will share some of them in future posts.

Come back and visit me soon!

Fall is here . . .

2008-10-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

The temperatures are cooling and the leaves are falling . . . it can only mean one thing. . . fall has arrived. I don't mind the fall season, it's what follows fall --- winter! Winter = SNOW!!!! Not my favorite thing . . . but then, I remember, I DO live in Minnesota so what should I expect!

Twenty years ago, you would have heard me saying things like, "Nobody in their right mind moves to Minnesota!"; "We're talking frozen tundra --- god forsaken country!" (Keep in mind, I lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia at the time.) But then I met my husband -- he was retiring after 20 years in the United States Navy and planned on moving back to his home state of Minnesota. Little did I know that four months after meeting him, we would get married and move to Minnesota! I've gotten used to the cold weather and snow (kind of); I'm just not an "outdoorsy" person, so . . . when the snow does start flying and sticking to the ground, I'll just wrap up in a warm quilt on my couch and enjoy the beauty of it all knowing I'm gonna stay warm and dry!

In the meantime, I'm headed to the basement to work on customer quilts.