Tiny Seamstress Throwwdown Bag

Okay here is the bag I made for the "Tiny Sesmstress Throwdown Bay 2009"link. This is the first bag I've ever made ! I was fun and surprisingly easy. The finished dimension of may was off so I took it apart and added the polka dot band around the top.

I'm pleased with the out come. I liked it so much that I made a mini version for my great niece Hannah. She just turned six and we celebrated her birthday on Sunday. She's really into horses and I made her a skirt and with the material I had left over I made her a little bag and a littel pillow. I forgot to take a picture of the pillow but here is the bag :


Okay, July was very productive as far as sewing has gone. I will dig through my WIPs and decide on an August project and post very soon. But for the next 8 days I'll be wrapped up in a summer course which will bring me closer to my Master' degree. I'm going sign off for now to work on a case study that I'll be presenting tomorrow! Yikes!!!
Enjoy your week.

Caitlin's Quilt and Hanah's Skirt

I was hoping show you a completely finished project quilting and all... but my sister, a long arm quilter, was going to sneak it in for me, unfortunately she had appendicitis and had surgery on Tuesday. She is home and doing well hoping to get up to her machine sometime today but I don't think Caitlin's quilt will be quilted by the July's deadline. So here is the finished top minus the mitered border. I didn't have enough material and had to add corner squares. I'm pleased with the result. yes it is a bit big for a baby quilt but it will grow with her.

I haven't given up on mitered borders and will try it on a future quilt.

I made my great- niece, Hannah, a little skirt for her birthday. She is really loves horses and has been taking horse back riding lessons. On Saturday we took a ride to Greenfield to the Textile Company and picked up dome Horse fabric. I made her a skirt using Indyo Junction's Little Charmers pattern.

Today I'm going to make the bag from the Tiny seamstress Throwdown Bag 2009. It needs to be finished by August third. I still need to start the Good Ol' Summer Time Swap. I have a few ideas dancing around in my head. There's a lot to do before my class starts next week.Yikes! I know I won't have much time for any thing else because its a full graduate course jammed into two weeks.
What was I thinking?

Day Tripping...

First I want to show you what I won. Sue from Alderwood Quilts had a give away a few weeks back and I was the lucky winner!



I love the colors and plan on making this quilt very soon. Thank You Sue!

The Chab is on vacation this week. We are planning to do some work around the house, and take a few day trips if the weather permits. Let me just say that I love New England! I live in western Massachusetts and can drive south and be in Connecticut in less than a half an hour, or head north and end up in Vermont or New Hampshire in about one hour.

On Sunday we decided to head north to Brattleboro Vermont. There's a little record shop Chab likes to visit. While he peruses the old vinyl, I hit a few of the neat shops along main street. Brattleboro is very artsy. One of places that I always visit is Twice Upon a Time, a neat antique shop where I picked up some vintage fabric...


Afterwards we jumped on Route 30, headed north for a little bit and stopped here for a late lunch.

New England is known for its covered bridges. The first one is in Vermont and I believe that it's the longest covered bridge in Vermont. The second one is in Massachusetts near Charlemont.

In Heath Mass. We discovered Berkshire Sweet Gold Maple Farm.

This syrup is made totally by solar power. We tried some on Monday morning. Yum!

A few more sights along the Mohawk Trail...

Bears are big in this neck of the woods!

It is worth noting that the Native Americans who lived along the Mohawk trail and in Eastern region were primarily farmers and did not live in tepees. They lived in Wetus, Wigwams, and Longhouses, you can see their housing here.
Enjoy your day!

Taste of Enfield

Haven't tackled the mitered borders yet. I've had a bit of bad news about my job, and it has made me quite angry, needless to say I've had a hard time concentrating... but my rock garden is looking better! Weeding is such good therapy it's a way to work off my anger, but I digress... We've been attending the taste of Enfield (Ct) for a number of years and last night was the night. The Taste hosts a bunch of little tents filled with Enfield's restaurants so the populace can sample their wares. I think its set up on the town common right next to the town hall.

All kinds of people come out to enjoy...

There's always music, and families spread out on the common to listen.

All kinds of food of course...

My Hub like sausage grinders Yumm...

Fried Ravioli ? Interesting.

Is this an American staple now a days? This was one of the most popular booths.

This was the most popular booth! Pirogis anyone???

Dickey Betts-"Lord I was born a ramblin' man..."

No matter where I go, I see...

QUILTS!
There was a family sitting next to us and I spied this little gem. I asked if I could take a picture and found out it was made for the mom by her grandmother. I told her it was a treasure and she replied that he kids had pretty much wrecked it. I replied that it could still be saved and she just chuckled. I Hope she thinks about it and at least puts it away. It still amazes me that some people just don't realize the value of handmade things.


So we'll just have to appreciate it for them...

Have a nice day.

Almost Done

I was very busy to day, not sewing but the necessary things you have to do to keep your house in reasonably running order. Ugh.. Clean !

Yesterday however, I worked on the baby quilt putting all the blocks together and adding the inner border. The fabric I'm using for the border makes me want to try mitering them. This will be my first attempt, so I think I do a mock up version first. I like the way this quilt is turning out and would hate to ruin it because I messed up on the outside borders. Should be finished with the top by tomorrow if all goes according to plan. =->

I'm joining The Charming Girls Quilt Club. I think this will be a good way to motivate me to finish up some UFOs, and get support along the way!

Okay I'm suppose to post a picture of the project I plan to finish this month. This is it another baby quilt using Amy Butler and Moda prints the pattern I'm using is Ashley from the book Super Simple Fat Quarter Quilts By Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. I cut it out last week and made the blocks today. I need to get it finished by the 20th in time for my newest great-niece.

Finishing up at least one project a month is a good goal, and hopefully I'll be able keep up and stay on track , and actually achieve my goal. Wish me luck!

July 4th and Movie Day with the girls.

July 4th was a great day! Spent the day at my Lil' Sis's house, ate great food, visited, watched the great nieces run around, roasted marshmallows, made s'mores, and watched fire works from their front porch. Here are some pictures;
The view off my sister's porch.

"Chillin with Pa" Great niece #2 and BIL

" Yumm!! This wiener is good"! Great Niece #1

My Nieces, Mom to great nieces is the blond.

Only Son, Lil' Sis, Lil Bro, and DH in the shadows.

Today the Girls and I went to see My Sister's Keeper. Loved the book, it gave me something to think about... movie was good ...a bit different than the book. Bring tissues if you go to see it.

We had a great weekend . Hope everyone had a great one as well

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Here are a few quotes from our second president of the United States, John Adams:

" Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom."

"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives."

Education should be the fundamental right of all people ...This I firmly believe and strive daily to impart on all my students.

John Adams was from Massachusetts and played an integral part in the founding and building of the United States, he was a very irascible man,and I believe because of that,is often overlooked by Americans. Here are some more quotes that I think are as appropriate today as when he spoke them:

"Everything in life should be done with reflection."

“Always stand on principle....even if you stand alone”

This last one I think says it all about our current economic crisis :

"All the perplexities, confusion, and distress in America arise, not from want of honor or virtue, but from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation."

Enjoy your holiday and reflect and remember all those who have gone before us and who are currently making the sacrifices necessary to hold on to our freedom.

Design Gives Back

Here's Liberty in the Oliver Wendell "Play Strong" scarf.

A storm was brewing and she's afraid of thunder so Miss Libby was saying, "Hurry up Mom!"

Decorating this scarf was a lot of fun. My mother had a bunch flowers left over from past projects, so I just glued them on.

This is a Design gives back project. Decorating an Oliver Wendell "Play Strong" scarf and taking a picture of a dog wearing the scarf earns a 10 dollar donation towards helping abandoned pets. Kelee's goal was 150 scarves by July 6th earning $2,000! I hope she reached her goal.