I Better Get Busy!!

 I have just been dilly-dallying around for the past week and it needs to stop!!  Well, I have decorated,  a friend came over and she "helped" me do some extra decorating, that was so nice to have another person's perspective, baked bread, gone to a mini-sewing group, out to lunch among a few other things..hmmm, maybe I have been a little busy!!...   I went to my youngest daughter's in Nebraska for Thanksgiving. While I was there she gave me my belated birthday present and it was worth the wait for me. I have 4, yes, 4, Pottery Barn Mercury Glass Christmas Trees!!! I just love them and couldn't wait to get home and get them arranged and show them off. I have them on a dark green tablecloth, with holly around them so the pictures don't do them justice but believe me they are gorgeous.

 

While I was in Nebraska, we did some Stitching Cards too. Susan did these 2 below, I think they are really pretty. Have you ever done any of these cards? They are fun to do but it does take some time but nice to give to those very special friends and family members.

 

Jenna, my grandson's fiance, did the two below. It was her first time doing any of these cards and she really got into it!! She did a great job too.  The cards are beautiful...... a very festive Snowman, and Madonna and Child... You can click on any of the pictures and it should enlarge them to get a better look. All in all, we had a good weekend, lots of food, laughs, crafts and family, it doesn't get any better than that. Sew until next time, I hope you have a Stitches kind of day...............

I

We Honor Our Veteran's

Another nice postcard from Grandma's album,  postmarked April 7, 1909 but very appropriate for today, I thought.  Sew until next time, have a Stitch's kind of day...............

Happy Valentine's Day

This cute little cupid card is dated on the back as 1910, amazing!!

Author Unknown I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.

This one has a date of 1909 but still just as beautiful after over 100 years.

Sew until next time, have a Stitches kind of day...

Happy New Year 2012

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.
Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.
Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.
And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.
Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.
Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer
Happy New Year!

Author Unknown

I wish you a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!!!  Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of day.....

Merry Christmas

It's going to be a great day here in Iowa, USA.  The sun is shining very bright and there is no snow on the ground or forecasted so travel will be good too.  I hope all of you have a great Christmas with your family and friends. Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of day..

A Christmas Postcard

Christmas Greetings from my house to yours!  This greeting is another old card out of my Grandmother's postcard scrapbook, it is literally falling apart but I don't want to try to put the cards in a new book so I handle it with care and leave it as it is..I hope to share more of these from time to time with you.  I am going to bake bread again today, the stockings are stuffed, the candy and goodies are made, at least all that I am going to do this year. It's time to get the house in order and have time to relax just a bit, and I hope you can do the same thing. Sew until next time, I best get busy and get that bread started.

Thankfull for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is beginning here for me. Two nephews are coming with their families to share Thanksgiving with my family.  One is coming from California and the other from Oklahoma, they are brothers and we haven't seen them for 5 years nor have they seen each other in that long. So we will really have a lot of catching up to do, whew, it's going to be fun. They will leave early Friday morning to drive to Lincoln, NE for the big Iowa/Nebraska game and then leave from there to go home on Sunday..we only get to see them a very short time, but we take what we get and enjoy it!!..Well, I have to close now and get ready to go to the airport, I'm really excited to see the "kids". They will all be here this afternoon.. (The postcard is a very old one out of my grandmother's postcard book)

Sew until next time, I hope you have a "Stitches" kind of day!!!

Another Day, Another Border or Two

Jealousy????? Who's jealous?  I am. I am jealous of all the Dear Jane's that have their corner and borders on perfectly! I am jealous of those that have been quilted and have the scalloped borders on them. And I am jealous (but proud ) of all the Dear Jane's that are bound and ready to be admired. Maybe someday mine will be finished and I can say "Am I glad that's over".  It's nearly one o'clock here in Western Iowa and I just need to curl my hair and then I am going to start sewing on DJ again.  I have two more chunks of border to add then the borders will be done, kinda..I still need to add the outside border for the scallops but I don't have the fabric yet so it will be a few days again. I think I want to use a shirting fabric for the scallops and I want the background to match or blend with the muslin that I used for sashing. I best get busy so I'll be back to you later today with updates.   (Note:  the postcard was written by my grandmother to my grandfather in November 1910, they were married January 12, 1911)  I would like to think this is their wedding picture but I don't have any proof of it. Charles W. and Mabel E. Fletcher Seaman

4:00 p.m.- All four triangle borders are on and the top is pressed. I still need to add the last border for the scallops but I have to buy the fabric.  After I get that border on, I will take DJ to the machine quilter to baste it and then I can start hand quilting. I'm not even going to put a time limit on getting it finished as I know it will take me longer than I think it would, so when it's done, it's done.



Dear Jane, all triangle borders are on!

This was a lttle better day than yesterday when I fussed so much with the corner blocks. I have decided to leave them for the time being. Perhaps in a few days, I may tackle a couple of them again and see if I can improve upon them but they may start looking better every day, we'll see.  Gee, now I can start on another of my Phd Challenges, I think it will be the Quilted Village.....I'm on a roll!!  Until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of evening. 

  

Another Day of Sunshine and Sewing

Good Morning! as the postcard says.  This card is out of my grandmother's postcard album that I have. Most of the cards are at least 100 years old and I just love looking through them so you will be seeing a few of them from time to time. I'm so glad the sun is shining again today, it's makes such a difference in my mood and just makes Winter seem better.  I am participating in Myra's PhD Challenge as some of you know. One of my challenges is my Dear Jane quilt. I'm patting myself on the back already and my arm is getting sore! But when I started sewing on this again, only the middle part was together. The triangles, pieced and plain, were all just in pieces. I have all the borders sewn together and ready to put on the middle. I also had to add the little 1/4" piece all the way around the middle and that is done too. In the pictures below, the borders are just laying around  but hopefully, the next time you see it, it will be a whole quilt top.

 I'm just throwing a couple of pictures from my flowers file because I am reminiscing about last summer when they were so pretty. They are Caladiums and they are called "Gingerland"..I just love the red splotches on them and I just love Caladiums.  Do you think they are as attractive as I do?   I would love if you would comment on my blog.

I hope you will have a "Stitches" kind of day.. until next time.