One Down... Crap, It Isn't Even on the List!

I am almost finished with #10, my first ever sampler quilt.  I have about two hours worth of binding to sew down and still am waiting on the thread that I ordered for the last of the hand quilting.  How do you sew your binding down?  I always do it by hand, I have tried by machine but I never get it to look as nice as if I have done it that way and I am pretty fussy.

I am going to a quilt show this weekend, maybe I will get some thread while I am there and then I can finish the hand quilting.  I guess we will see.  I will make sure I take some pictures (of the quilt show and of UFO #10) and have figured out an easy way to post them!

Last night, I finished a cushion for our bed.  I am currently sitting on it to flatten the the actual cushion out a little as it is just a smidge too big and so it is pulling a little.  Looks really pretty though, all whites and creams with some antique mother of pearl buttons.  I will take a picture when I have a minute to set it up so you cannot see the giant pile of clean laundry that permanently resides near where the beautiful pillow will live.  I will aim for Monday as it is my day off and the kids will be in school all day and I should use the time to clean.  Pfft.

I might not get to fill in the blanks tomorrow, but will catch up with you on Saturday night when I get back from Wasa, for sure.  Have a nice weekend!

:o)  Tina

Last Night's Dinner and This Morning's Surprise

Last night I made potato wedges for dinner and they were so yummy.  I am a really great cook but, as with everything else, I can sometimes be a little slow out of the gate.  I am trepidatious about trying new things...  but they were so good - and so easy!

From Pinterest! (Yeah, Pinterest)

All I did was peel russet potatoes and quarter them, length wise.  Coat them in oil, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt.  Cooked them for about half an hour at 450, rotating them after about 15 minutes.

Easy peasy and everyone but Penelope loved them.  (She loves Honey Nut Cheerios, honey ham, chicken nuggets  McDonald's cheeseburgers, and just about every fruit or veg you can dream up.  However, potato wedges are not on her personal menu!)

I am feeling very Susie-Homemaker lately so expect more recipes.  I always get cooky in the Autumn. 

As I have little else to do, when I am cooking dinner I am usually doing thinking (yikes!) and last night I suddenly thought - Oh!  Post a need for Pinterest and maybe, you will get an invite.  This morning, there it was.  Thank you so much Karen - if I could I would totally buy you a Starbucks!  You made my day!

So... that means, I have invites to pass on, let me know if you need one (if you only want one you have clearly not been to see Pinterest) and I will happily pay it forward.

Happy Wednesday!

:o)

Stupid Pinterest

Someone.  Anyone.  I need a Pinterest invite.   I have requested one several times - and got nothing.  No response. No see you later, we saw your blog and you suck.  Nothing.  Not a word.

So (after the 326th time) I Google it to see if I am the only one or what.  It turns out you need someone who has a membership to this exclusive club to invite you.  (Part of me wants to boycott, I am not going to lie. I loath snobbery.  Seriously. One of the few things that makes me really angry - the others are all some how related to the men in my house.)  I do not personally know anyone who could invite me.

So here is where you, my dear sweet readers come into play.

PLEASE HELP. I promise I will pay it forward. PLEASE

(Yes this is me begging.)

:o)  Tina

The UFOs Are Multiplying. I May Need Reinforcements!

I found more.  The good news is I finished one of them before I was forced to put it on the list AND I made significant progress on the oldest member of this list.  That's right the first ever quilt got its binding machine stitched on last night - just some hand stitching to get it done and a little more quilting in the borders and it will be done (16 years later).

The additions to the list:


Updated:

55. Kitchen curtains
56. The Little Man's curtains
57. Penelope's curtains.
58. Misc clothing project cut out before the Little Man was born. (5) gave them to my Mum to do with what she chooses. (Yes I know that is cheating!)
59. Cat needlepoint pillow
60. Floral Wreath needlepoint pillow
61. Village Green quilt (BOM from The Cloth Shop in 199?)
62. Take a Stand (four months).
63. Let it Bee cross stitch for PITA
64. Iris cross stitch

Still not myself,  :/ Tina 

Stumbled Upon #4

Apparently I am not the only one who has come across this and loved it.  It had 62,923 views, 4473 admirers and was on 385 treasury lists.  If only I could get a PINTREST account, I would SO pin this.




See it on Etsy!

I am currently obsessed with trying to find a way to make a little extra money online.  I have been thinking about doing some Virtual Assistant type work.  I was an Office Administrator in my past life.  Do any of you have any ideas or experience with this?





I am going to do this with Penelope.  She however, wants to stick to one colour and was confused as to why anyone would do it any other way.  I love her.

I originally saw this on Pinterest but could not find the source.  The image is from flickr but even that is from somewhere else... if you know where please let me know and I will give credit.

There are so many great quotes in this blog post, I could not pick one so here is the link.  You have to go read them - super fabulous! This is the one that lead me there, someone had it posted on Pintrest.




Another great spot to read an assortment of fabulous quotes is here

I wish I thought of this.  Pedicure toe-separator things used for bobbins!  SO simple.  I will be heading to the dollar store tomorrow to get a couple for my bobbin over flow. I don't mind the bobbins themselves being around, it is the thread that drives me nuts!




As seen at sew4home.com

I thought this was worth a chuckle.  I often seem a little behind the times so maybe you have seen it somewhere before.  I thought it was funny and worth sharing. I suppose it shows my age a little bit.




Small Shop Studio

This little sign is perfect for my house. I might even buy one at Catching Fireflies.





Enjoy your the rest of the weekend. Happy September!

:o\ Tina

Fill in the Blank Friday

I apologize in advance if this post is a little bleak.  I am feeling sad over the loss of my cousin and it seems to pop up as I write.

the little things we do

1. One thing that is completely superfluous, but that I could never give up is Tetley Tea and my sewing machine.  Yes, I know this is two things but I can't decided between the two which I need more or which is more superfluous.

2. Grief makes me feel awkward. My own or others, it does not matter.  I do not deal well with sadness. Probably nobody does. When my Grandma passed away, I told people who asked about her that she was doing fine rather than telling them the truth.  I did not want to face it - and I really did not want to talk about it.

3. I can't go the beach without a good book and at least 30 block - and of course the shorties who make the beach worth while.

4. Miss. Vicki's Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar potato chips are currently my favorite snack.

5. Lately I've been really sad and reflective.  The loss of my cousin has been hard on this family but also made us realize how short and precious life is - and how much we love each other.

6. If at first you don't succeed don't give up! Try again. I do not give up easily and do not recommend it to anyone. If you want something bad enough, isn't it worth the fight?

7. Fall is bittersweet. I love the crisp Autumn air, the golden leaves, the fact that Christmas is getting closer, Thanksgiving, and the beginning of hockey season (sigh, yes I said that) but I am sad to see the end of my days at the beach and the kids being around so much. Like anything - good with the not so good.


Have a happy and safe long weekend.

:o(  Tina

UFOs Have Taken Over My House

Not real UFOs, silly.  UnFinished Objects.  I made a big scary list and have decided that I will blog it to make myself accountable to it.  There are 54 items on this list and I am sure I will start new projects before these projects are complete.  That is just the way it goes.

So maybe I will get lucky and remember to take a photo and I will have 54 blog posts with 54 things I made. The things is, it is not like I don`t get things done - have you seen my shop?

Here we go:

1.   Paper pieced Christmas tree
2.   Black floral wreath
3.   Orange blouse Gave this one to my Mum (head hangs in shame).
4.   Floral blouse The one too (head hangs lower in shame).
5.   Batik table runner
6.   2" Square quilt
7.   Grandmother's Flower Garden English paper pieced quilt (Update, September 2013:  I have actually been working onand making some progress with this one!)
8.   Rocky Mountain sampler quilt I recently donated this to a quilting gorup I sew with.  We are going to do it and donate it.
9.   Red black and yellow sampler quilt
10. My first ever sampler quilt.
11. Wallets Made one, used the rest of the fabric for other things.  WAY too time consuming a project to make and sell.
12. Victoria wall hanging (Ruth McDowell's way)
13. Christina Lake applique
14. Angel's Among Us quilt
15. Santa craft kit
16. Roses on point runner
17. Flower pin cushion
18. Chic Blooms jacket Gave the pattern away (to my Mum of course!) and am using the fabulous fabrics for something else. :)
19. Red, white and black cat pillow
20. Christmas soft book
21. Bunny pillow (or quilt)
22. Pig quilt
23. Dresses for Penelope (3?) Sadly she outgrew the pattern before i ever got around to this.  Gave the pattern to my Mum and adding the fabric and notions to my huge and wonderful stash! :)
24. Repair sleeping bag
25. Repair red dress
26. Repair blue dress
27. Cat head pin cushions
28. Animal print cat cushion
29. Christmas Glitter kit Selling this kit on Etsy!
30. Painting the Ornament kit Selling this kit on Etsy!
31. Superman
32. Folk art bird
33. Thangles quilt
34. Green pants hahahaha  Tossed them.  Even the fabric was not enough to continue with these ridiculous clown pants!
35. Thread catcher
36. Printed Christmas ornaments
37. Santa stocking
38. 30s sampler
39. Paper pieced magnets
40. Guild sampler
41. Family tree
42. Birds of Prey panels SOLD the panel on Etsy!
43. Pre-printed tea towels
44. The Little Man's pj pants Got my Mum on this one too.  Good thing she like sewing clothes because I DO NOT!
45. Advent pillow
46. Sparrow panel
47. Nancy Halvorsen stockings
48. Snowman felt craft kit
49. The Little Man's body pillow case
50. Penelope's body pillow case
51. Quilt Thimbleberries Greetings from Canada
52. Quilt Penelope's quilt
53. Quilt Penelope's Turning 20   December 30, 2012
54. Quilt our quilt

Still :o( Tina