Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Christmas Blog Hop And It's A Dog's Life

I've been having a Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange since 2013. I can't believe it's been 10 years, but it's been a highlight of my blogging time. I'd love to have you join in!

The challenge is easy:

Christmas recipe (cookies or something else food related)

A favorite Christmas memory

Christmas quilt/project or gift idea


Email me if you want to join in:


This week's blog hop is all about the dogs (and vintage.)


Here's the list of bloggers who are sharing their awesome projects:

SEPTEMBER 18 

Sunday, September 17, 2023

It's A Dogs Life Begins Today

I love a good challenge, including the ones I dish out, but this one threw me for a bit because I kept changing my mind. I'm sure that NEVER happens to anyone else! Luckily, I focused long enough to create my own "It's A Dogs Life" project to kick off this blog hop.


The Challenge:

Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs.
As an added challenge, if dogs don't ring your bell, think vintage.
Vintage blocks, quilts, fabrics, or whatever old designs makes you happy.

My Project:

It's A Show Dogs Life




I combined a dog theme with vintage, creating my quilt from a 1936-1943 poster. Thanks to EQ8, I was able to enlarge it and create my own pattern. 


I used this challenge to play around with  my free motion quilting. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm getting a little more confident. Some of you have such a gift for quilting and I love seeing your work!

My Charlie loves to supervise all my sewing projects.


Check out the bloggers who have answered this month's challenge:

SEPTEMBER 18 

Friday, September 8, 2023

Flashback Friday Ms Winifred's Closet And Giveaway

My Flashback Friday is about one of my favorite quilts (and best selling pattern), "Ms. Winifred's Closet". It was first shown on August 16, 2018, during a Riley Blake project event. 

Ms. Winifred's Closet


The applique pieces are large enough to make them easy to cut out and blanket stitch around the edges.

 I'm thinking it's time to make another one in different fabrics!
Maybe an extra border to make it bigger? It's 47" x 57".

Would you like to win a free copy of Ms. Winifred's Closet? 
Just leave a comment telling me about your favorite Halloween candy
and I'll pick a winner by midnight September 14th. 

WINNER, WINNER, WINNER!

I picked two winners from my blog comments and two from my FB page.

From the blog: Marsha B. and Anita Jackson...Congratulations!

Check out my Etsy store for more patterns, including Ms. Winifred's Closet, HERE.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Where The Heck Does Time Fly To

I really don't understand how time flies so quickly now that I'm not a kid anymore. Where the heck does it fly to? When I was young, it seemed like a million hours until summer came and school got out. The same thing was true for how long it took to turn 18 and be free to do what I want. Yeah, the "do what I want" part never happened. 

Me on my 18th birthday, ready to be a free woman! LOL


The last few months have been spent mostly traveling back and forth by car and plane to Ohio. My heart broke last year when my youngest daughter, SIL, and grandkids moved way, way, way east to Ohio. After being used to them living close by for so long, it was a shock to my system to have them leave. I'm adjusting, but I'm not happy about it.


Now my oldest daughter is moving there...nooooo! I got to spend eight days with her trying to get settled in a condo. When my youngest grandson saw the condo for the first time, he said, "It's amazing! It looks like a castle!" Yes, it does, sort of. It was built in 1928 as an apartment building, but was converted to condos. It's all very vintage.


This is what you have to use to call up to the rooms. 


This is what is in the room to answer and buzz people up.


Thank goodness for these helpers in setting up the only piece of furniture in the condo. The truck with all her belongings never made it while we were there. We finally got the news that it was next week so we flew home. When we landed, we got news that the truck will arrive in "3 to 5 days" or so they say. Ugh! She'll be flying back without me. 

The couch was comfy, thank goodness, because that's where we slept for five of the eight days. 


Unusual figures of pigs and flowers are stamped in the plaster.


The attic is where the storage units are...way too creepy for  me!
Definitely don't want to go up there at night and alone.


Now that I'm home, I have lots of sewing to catch up on.

First on the list...It's A Dog's Life Blog Hop.


It's going to be so much fun with these bloggers who met the challenge!

SEPTEMBER 18

My Day In "April Showers" Blog Hop

Joan at Moosestash Quilting keeps me on my toes with her challenges, that's for sure.  JOAN'S APRIL BLOG HOP CHALLENGE:  "APRIL...