Skip to content
Archive of posts filed under the Friends category.
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Potpourri — or Just a Bunch of Stuff

11 December 2008, 11:09 pm

– Those of you who wondered if there was a picture of me, regarding the previous post?  Think about it.  Do you think my husband would have noticed anything different about me?  I reference this post. 

– Seven of us from our Wednesday stitchin’ group went to the local NBC affiliate last night and presented our baby dolls with hand-made quilts to Toys for Tots, and made a brief appearance on the 6:00 news.  We all had a lot of fun.  We donated 15 dolls with quilts.

– I am in Full Apron-Assembly-Line Mode.  After completing the first Church Ladies Apron, I decided I would cut out the next nine, and do all the pockets at the same time, ties, facings, etc., and it should be a more efficient use of time.  More boring, but more efficient.  I am really excited about some of the fabrics I’m using (photos on a future day).  And I wish it was after the 1st of January so I could count these 20 yards as part of Stash Busting (two yards per apron, and 18 of the 20 yards out of stash)!!!  They are for gifts, so I will keep plugging away.

– Friday is our Christmas outing for the four of us “buds” that used to work together, and we keep in touch by meeting for breakfast most Saturdays.  We are doing an overnight at a local casino (free rooms), and will have fun opening our gifts, enjoying a fun dinner, and perhaps doing some donating  at the machines – at least until the smoke gets too bad.  I always bring knitting along…

– I got a new Keurig coffee brewer.  What a fun toy!  A toy that makes coffee/hot cocoa/tea, how good is that?

– Had my annual mammo today, and since I was close to the Mall of America, thought I would spend some time shopping.  I AM EXHAUSTED.  I guess it’s a sign of the times, but the mall was pretty low key for being two weeks before Christmas.

Well,  that’s all for now.  Pictures next time!

Sue

Filed under Daystitchers, Friends, Stash Busting Sunday.
Comments Off

Judy L’s Quiltathon Weekend

6 December 2008, 7:56 am

I’ve been pretty much slowed to a crawl in the crafting/sewing department since my fall almost four weeks ago, but I am making good progress!!!  The good news is I finished two twin-sized quilts on the longarm this week.  The bad news is it takes me twice as long to do everything.  I can live with that for now.  At least I’m doing something.  I was going to continue to a third almost-king-sized quilt this weekend, but I think that’s too many longarming days in a row, and I need to give my wrist a break rest.  Or at least a different activity. 

My goals for this weekend:

  • Make several aprons for gifts using this Church Ladies Apron pattern (reversible apron, takes two one-yard cuts of fabric)
  • Bind the two doll quilts for Toys for Tots
  • Make Blocks 8 and 9 for Judy L’s Star BOM
  • So check back for progress/pictures

But FIRST I’m meeting my best buds for breakfast, like I do every Saturday morning.  And tonight we’re meeting up with two other couples for dinner and then we continue our get-together and play cards.  Tomorrow morning, church.  Then Sunday night is our townhouse association holiday dinner.  So I’m really going to have to focus on sewing every single minute I’m not eating or partying!  What a weekend.  (Isn’t that the way it usually goes — everything fun for the month ends up on the same weekend?)

Sue

Filed under Friends, Miscellaneous.
1 Comment

Recycling

1 December 2008, 8:44 pm

As I posted  a couple of days ago, my friends Pat, Carol & Marcia gave me a really cute, sunny, uplifting flower arrangement in an oversized smiley-face mug.  Well, the flowers officially bit the dust today, and I was faced with what to do with the mug.  I thought about putting it with my teapot/tea cup display, but it just didn’t work.  Here it is, “repurposed”:

I now have a kitchen pincushion!  Thanks doubly, ladies  — two gifts in one!

 Sue

Filed under Friends.
4 Comments

Catching Up, and Up, and Up…

28 November 2008, 8:48 pm

Broken Wrist Update:  I can hardly believe it’s been so long since I posted.  But you will notice I am using capital letters again!  Very exciting to me, because I can type with two hands again.  Last week the doc put a removable brace on my broken wrist/forearm.  What a treat!  I can shower without being “bagged up” like yesterday’s turkey carcass.  The pain is very minor for the most part, although sleeping all night is still a challenge.  Forgive me if you are stopping by to see quilty stuff.  I’m going to show a couple of photos of my arm for my family members that are being referred to my blog from our family web page.  (There are quilty items coming up though, so just skip past…)

And on a related note, my best buds Carol, Pat & Marcia sent me a nice cheerful flower arrangement two weeks ago after the surgery, and it still looks good!  It just shows that it pays to go with daisies and mums.  There are a couple of huge roses in it too, which are somehow drying in place.  I don’t think I’ve ever had fresh flowers last this long.  Actually, I rarely get a potted plant to last this long!  (ps:  the smiling mug is HUGE…)

 

Gift In The Mail Update:  I received the most wonderful Pay-It-Forward gift from Julie at JulieKQuilts.blogspot.com. 

She sent me one of these cute baskets, hand-made, of course.  And what a doll!  She also tucked in Dove chocolates (see empty bag above) and the sweetest card.  Thank you, Julie!  And I will be contacting my PIF’s soon, getting their gifts on their way to them.  (Be sure to check out the Pink Penguin site.  There you will find the tutorial for this bag as well as a lot of other neat-o stuff.  THANK YOU to “Ayumills” for a great pattern!!!) 

I have to tell you something interesting about this little basket.  Monday the 10th, Barb B. in our Weds. quilting group shared with us the info on making these same baskets.  I made one, and it turned out to be very cute also!  Monday the 10th at 6:30 pm I broke my wrist, so that appeared to be the last real sewing I would be doing for a while.  Last week I was visiting my mom, and although I planned to keep the basket for myself, I decided to give it to my mom.  I knew she would appreciate something hand-made from me.  (And how often have we all done that???  Given away something we really intended for ourselves.)  And then Julie sends me one in the mail!!!  I will treasure it, Julie.  Thank you so much.  And it shows you how popular this little project has become!

Limited-Mobility Sewing Project Update:  So, what can I make with this wrist that is oh-so-much better, but still a broken wrist with a plate holding things together?  How about … pincushions!  I printed the pattern for these pincushions ages ago from the allpeoplequilt.com site.

I thought they turned out really nice.  They are about 3 1/2″ square, and I weighted the bottom with a little bag of rice inside.  A fun way to use up some interesting or vintage buttons, but I purchased these.

Weather Update:  It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of November.  Over 40 degrees today, and no snow on the ground.  Our little pond has a thin layer of ice on it.  This is very unMinnesota-like weather, but it’s really nice while it lasts.

Knitting Update:  I had so much fun knitting my first pair of socks earlier this month, I promptly ordered a bunch of sock yarn from three different places.  It started arriving right after I broke my wrist.  Of course.  But I love all the yarn, so I decided to keep all of it, certain that I would be able to knit again.  I had started a sock in this lovely green/orange/purple yarn before I fell (doesn’t it look like spring?).  I have been testing my ability to knit, just one or two rounds at a time.  Fortunately I knit the old-fashioned way, and my right hand does most of the work.  I am relieved that I will be able to knit again, although casting on is a problem right now. 

Family Update:  We had a wonderful time last week with our #1 son home from Virginia, and #2 son and DIL, plus #3 son spending more time around the house.  It’s truly like old times when the three boys get together.  I couldn’t do as much baking and cooking as I would have liked, but on the other hand, there were extra people to adjust my blanket for naps and help me put my socks on!  Things are pretty much back to normal, just at a slower pace.

Holiday Update:  Since last week was the only time this year our little family will all be together, we celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas last Saturday.  To keep things simple, we drew names for gifts.  I didn’t put the tree up, but I did plan to add in some of the holiday decorations.  Then this wrist thing happened, and I really didn’t care if we were decorated or not.  So we went with “not”.  It was really nice to be together, but it seems very strange to think:  We’re Done!  All the hustle and bustle today of the Black Friday sales was irrelevant. 

Thanks for stopping by, and an especially BIG thank you if you hung in there and read this whole thing!

 Sue

Filed under Daystitchers, Family, Friends, Knitting, Out My Window, Uncategorized.
5 Comments

Wow! Thank you, Sandi!

9 October 2008, 8:13 am

I feel so doubly honored this morning.  Sandi A at A Legacy of Stitches sent me an e-mail this morning informing me that I am one of her five picks for a Kreativ Blogger award!  Thank you, Sandi!  As Sandi mentioned on her blog this morning, our paths have crossed several times before, so she is one of the few bloggers I “know” that I have met in person.   She is a delightfully creative lady, and she is as generous a person as you will find anywhere!  And be sure and check out her blog.  It’s fun to read about small-town living in the picturesque town of Henderson, MN, as Sandi has a way with words and includes lots of great photos.

And as if that isn’t enough, Sandi also named me as her Blog Pick of the Week!  Oh, my gosh, I’m waiting for Bert Parks to step out of the closet with my tiara!

Thanks again, Sandi, for the honors.  They mean even more, coming from such a special lady!

Sue

Filed under Friends, Miscellaneous.
2 Comments

Quilting Mini Camp 2008

22 September 2008, 3:09 pm

I really wanted to do some kind of retreat or quilt show outing this fall.  I nearly went to the ND quilt show in Fargo, but things just didn’t work out.  I finally decided to have a “sort of” retreat at my house, and invite all the women in our Wednesday DayStitchers group.  So we start tomorrow, all day; of course, on Wednesday we go back to our regular afternoon quilting group; then about a dozen or so of us back at my house Thursday, all day.  How fun will that be?  Well, I’ll know tomorrow.

The “price” of admission is one fat quarter per day, and they will go to one of the day’s participants (by a drawing at the end of the day).  I seeded the bowl with a few starter FQ’s:

I’ve been busy removing some furniture, moving the rest around, borrowing tables (thanks, Betty!) and an iron, and probably something else I haven’t even thought of yet.  I am expecting about 14 quilters tomorrow, and so I’m getting stations set up for the ones that are bringing their sewing machines — 14 of them!  Part of us will be upstairs, part downstairs, but we will be meeting up midday in the dining room (after we clear the sewing stuff off the table) for some lunch.  I’m going to make my mother-in-law’s Cheesy Potato Soup, a tossed salad, and some nice crusty bread.  I’ll also have my sister-in-law Jeanne’s Dump Cake (MUCH better than it sounds) for dessert.

My husband is out of town for a funeral, and he may be a little disoriented when he comes back to the new furniture configuration:

      

There are several sewing stations that don’t appear in the pictures.  I also need to get the pressing stations set up, and the exercise room place we store our exercise equipment will be set up with table and chairs for a little magazine and book viewing.  I still have lots to do.  You will notice I’m not posting a photo of my sewing room yet!  So back to work I go.  We will have a great two days sewing up a storm!  Wish you could all be here, but I definitely don’t have enough chairs!

Sue

Filed under Daystitchers, Friends, Quilting.
2 Comments

I’m Back

14 September 2008, 5:45 am

Well, sort of anyway.  I had a fun 2 1/2 day mini-vacation with three best girlfriends.  We do this annually, and it’s always fun.  The four of us used to work together several years ago at a large company.  Now only one of us is still working there, but we’ve maintained our friendships with weekly Saturday breakfasts and annual girls’ getaways.  This year was our 10th year, I believe.  Well, I came back with a raging sinus condition, and that surely takes the wind out of your sails!  It makes it really nice to be back home.  I missed having access to a computer so, as sick as that sounds, it’s nice to be back with my computer as well.

Just a remember, if you haven’t already, check my give-away post of a few days ago.  I will be doing the drawing tomorrow (Monday) evening to somewhat allow for different time zones.  Last chance!  Even if you aren’t interested in entering the drawing, people are listing their favorite quilting/sewing “tool”, so it’s fun to read what comes to people’s minds.

Port Aransas was out of the hurricane’s path, but how very horrifying to have it zero in on a major metropolitan area.  SIL Grace and BIL Ronnie in Lake Jackson are okay, but of course have no power, and I’m sure streets and yards are a mess.  It’s so amazing to me that we can track a hurricane for days, approximate where it’s going to come ashore, and yet we’re helpless to do anything to stop it.  A reminder that we’re not as in control as we like to think we are.

Time to put on a pot of coffee.  I skipped dinner last night and went to bed early, so I was famished about 4:30 am.  (Not to mention, I could no longer breathe laying down.)  So I got up and had a delicious peanut butter & banana on toast, and can breathe a little better.  All I’m missing is a little caffeine.

Sue

 

Filed under Friends, Miscellaneous.
Comments Off

Grids & Grommets Bag

27 August 2008, 8:31 am

 (Click on photo for a larger image)

Is this the cutest bag or what?  I think we all love bags.  Yesterday fellow DayStitchers (and they’re also friends) June, Betty, Margarget and I met at Pam’s house for a day of quilting.  We each made one of these bags.  I hope to get a picture of the five of us with our finished products.  It was a super fun day, chatting, laughing, sewing, laughing, lunching, laughing – and actually getting something done.  This bag (I did the “tote” size in the whole-cloth variation) is by Indygo Junction.  Not a beginner pattern, for sure, but the end result is just smashing.  This pattern utilizes drapery grommets to thread the handle through.  Very clever, and a very nice bag.  And isn’t quilting with friends just the best!

Sue

Filed under Daystitchers, Friends, Quilting.
2 Comments

Quiltathon Progress — Days 1 & 2

10 August 2008, 1:59 pm

You can tell when I’m busy working on customers’ quilts — there’s not much activity in the blogging area!  I am treating myself to some quilting “work” on my own quilts this weekend, in conjunction with Judy Laquidara’s Quiltathon.  I am working on a very special quilt.  My best friend from high school and beyond, 40+ years ago, was Arlene Newman (Arlene Linton now).  Arlene is a wonderful decorative painter, and her specialty is painting lace.  She has three books out, and she also teaches internationally.  She has a heart as big as all outdoors, and has always been a fun, caring person.  Okay, back to the quilt. 

Last year, Robert Kaufman licensed some of Arlene’s designs and made some wonderful quilt fabric.  The line is called Linens & Lace, and it’s pretty much gone from the stores, although I think Arlene still has some available.  Of course, I had to get some in all the colorways.  Then what to do with it?  Choosing from the wonderful blue fabrics (my favorite), I decided to make a Four-Patch Posies Supreme quilt by HD Designs, which is a variation of a kaleidoscope quilt.  (I modified some of the measurements to suit my fabrics, so it isn’t exactly the same as the pattern.)  I’m very pleased with the way it turned out, and I have been waiting for a chance to quilt it.  Friday night I got it pinned up on my machine.  Doesn’t it remind you of blue-and-white china?

Then what to quilt?  I started with an overall design, and didn’t like it at all.  It really detracted from the fabric.  Rip-it, rip-it, rip-it.  In case you didn’t know what “frogging” meant!  Then I tried doing a custom design in the center.  Didn’t like that either.  More frogging.  I finally decided I needed to stitch-in-the-ditch (SID) the blocks, and I quilted a double-swag design in the borders.  SID is not my favorite, but it really allows the fabric to come through, and this quilt is all about the fabric.  So I’ll be quilting today until I get it done.  Then I’ll have tomorrow for binding. 

It won’t be a ribbon winner, but I am scrambling to get it done and ready in time for the Minnesota State Fair.  It’s so exciting to me that Arlene’s and my paths have crossed again, and this quilt will always be very near and dear to my heart.  Here we are in 1969.  Oh, my gosh, we were just babies!!!  I’m on the left, Arlene on the right:

Sue

Filed under Friends, Quilting.
5 Comments

Like Give-Aways?

31 July 2008, 9:02 am

Here are a couple of give-aways you might be interested in:

#1:  Sandi A. is having a semi-mystery give-away on her site, accepting entries until August 25th.  Click here to read all about it.  Sandy’s blog is also a good visit for a walk down memory lane, a look into small-town life, and to see what Sandy’s working on.

#2:  Have you ever made something from a Perkins Drygoods pattern?  Celine has a limited-time offer on her site.  If you send her a photo of something you’ve made from one of her patterns, she will send you a different pattern free.  She has started a Gallery of customers’ quilts.  Check out the offer here!  And if you haven’t tried one of her patterns (check them out on her site or in your LQS), I would suggest you pick one up.  She is known for her clear directions.  Her patterns never disappoint.

Filed under Friends.
2 Comments
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »