I'm Back

Hello to all my followers. Sorry I've been MIA, we've been going through a long moving process. My dear hubby has PCS'd from Alaska, and the children and I are now with him as a family again at his new duty station. We've only been in the new house for about a week, so we're still unpacking and trying to get situated. Half of our things from the old house are in storage in NC. I want to apologize for missing projects. This new house has smaller rooms than what we left so I had to really make some hard decisions as to what could come and what had to stay. I do have my sewing machine though. No fabric or notions, had to leave it behind, but I made sure to get the workhorse.

So now we're coming up on my baby's birthday this coming Thursday, she'll be six years old. I plan to have a little something for her at the school since we don't know anyone yet. And right behind that is Christmas, yippee!! My dear husband said Christmas was cancelled for our house this year because of the move we just made and money is a little tight. I don't know about that. My baby believes in Santa Claus and she just doesn't understand what the problem is because Santa brings all the presents in that big bag he carries on his back. They're so cute at this age. So I'm going to have to write Santa a letter to make sure he gets our new address. Don't want him to go to our old place and not know where to send at least one present for my 3 lovelies.

Anyway, the children are finally all dressed so we have to make a quick errand run. I just wanted to give you all a quick update and my apologies on my absence. Will get back in the swing of things after we get a little more settled.

~Tootles!

I've been Tagged!!

I've been tagged by the club and so I need to share 5 things about myself.

5 Things
1. My Favorite Fabric is: Most anything by 3 sisters for Moda.
2. The pattern I'm most looking forward to sewing is: I don't use patterns, but I would love to try the dresden plate quilt block.
3. The food that is my weakness: I love cookies. Especially choc. chip cookies, and white choc. macadamia nut cookies.
4. If I knew I couldn't fail, I'd: Start my own business.
5. The Best "Life" Advice I know is: Comes from the movie Ratatouille, 'If you focus on what you've left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead' -Chef Gusteau

~Tootles!

Mini Quilt Monday

Happy Monday everyone!! Have you all heard of Mini Quilt Monday? There's a flickr group that makes mini quilts and showcases them on Monday's. I thought I'd get in on the fun and show a mini quilt of my own. Mini quilts are fun to make because it helps you get your quilt fix without having to put in the time on a big quilt. It's also good for trying out new quilt blocks and quilting designs. There's talk about what size makes a mini a true mini and mess like that. I don't worry about following the rules. As I mentioned before, I like to quilt outside the lines. Doesn't matter to me that my points don't match, or my blocks are off. As long as the quilt functions as a quilt, I'm good. This mini measures 12" by 14". I love the colors, especially the bright orange and yellow. The pic below is the back, my son's favorite part of the quilt. He likes the stitch pattern.
And this is the front. I think the block is called Market Square, or something like that. I found it on my new quilt design software. I like being able to put the colors together on the computer before actually making the quilt. For some reason it helps me to see the colors better on screen than actually having the fabric in hand. Anyway, this is my Mini Quilt Monday.

~Tootles!

New Project Complete

I have completed the table runner I started the other day. The pic is grainy (thanks to my DD learning new tricks with her camera, but not learning how to set it back to it's original state), but it's complete. I did some stippling on it, my first time, and I should have taken some pics to show that. Maybe later. Anyway, the stippling was fun, not as hard as I thought, and easier the more I kept at it. My thread broke three times, don't know why, I changed the needle before I began quilting. I used red thread for the stippling (Amanda Jean's recommendation) the same color as the backing and sashing. This table runner was made with scrap fabric I had in my stash. Well, except for the backing. I had to run to Hancock's for the backing, they had a sale going on so I only paid 72 cents for the backing fabric! The binding is pieced from the same scraps I used on the blocks. So with this done, I have completed my OPAM, and can enter the runner into the Charming Quilt Girls' Club.

~Tootles!

A new project

I have been neglecting my WISP's and the OPAM challenge. I blame it on the summer vacation. I have started a new project though, a table runner, that I'm submitting to the Charming Girls' Quilt Club which I joined on yesterday. So per the club rules, I have until the end of the month to complete this project, and get my name put in a drawing for a $25 GC to Cotton Charm. The fabric I'm using is from my stash, and I'm so sorry that the pic below does not show it as clear as I would have liked. It's not even straight, but it's a square in a square type of block so I don't think it really makes a difference. This is the first table runner I've done so I don't mind playing with scraps. They have to be used somehow. So, in finishing this project, which I intend to do, I will be able to fulfill my OPAM challenge, and this one for the Quilt Club. And, maybe get myself back on the crafting track.

~Tootles!

Giveaway Time with Quiltqua

My, how long it's been since I've blogged to you all. Hope you're enjoying the summer as we are. I have been invited to have MahoganyBlue on the blog list over at quiltqua . In case you don't know, quiltqua is this cool website that has just about everything related to quilting. They have patterns, listings of guilds and quilting blogs, suppliers, articles, shows... I mean the list goes on. And as the title of this post says, they have giveaways. Lots of them, going on right now. One is specifically called Tell a Friend, and that's all you have to do. Spread the word about quiltqua through your blog, emailing your friends, whatever. Then send an email to quiltqua letting them know that you've done so. You can enter as often as you want, and the drawing is to be held the end of July. You can win 1 fat quarter bundle of "Frosted Memories" by Holly Taylor for Moda Fabrics! So I'm telling you, my friends. Quiltqua is a great site for all things quilty and they're having a fantastic giveaway. So head on over there, check it out, tell your friends, and enter to win. And hopefully I can eek out some time this summer, or school will roll back around faster than I think it will, and I can actually quilt something again to show you all. I'm working on a table runner pattern for my table. I desperately need one.

~Tootles!

Does it bug you too?

I was listening to the car radio today, and heard a song that I briefly heard once before. So I'm all excited because I finally get to hear the entire song, YIPEE!! I think it's a lovely song and I wouldn't mind having it, I must know who sings it. So, when the song finishes I wait for the jockey to let us know who the artist is, but he doesn't. That really bugs me. I guess they think maybe we listen to the radio often enough to know by now who are the artists of the songs they play. But I don't. So when the children and I made it back home, I did an extensive search to find out for myself who the artist of that song was. And I did. He's a young man from Detroit named K'Jon. The song is called On The Ocean and is playing on my playlist. So if you have the volume on the speakers turned off, turn them on so you can listen to the muse for my drawing below.

I really like this song. The beat takes me back to when my husband and I were stationed in Korea together. That was a very special time for me. Anyway, when I heard this song I just felt a need to draw it. So I did this drawing, nothing spectacular, but it's something else that I enjoy besides sewing. And I really needed a break from the sewing machine. Until tomorrow that is.

~Tootles!