super easy little girls dress

Boy, it's been quite a while since I've posted! Too much going on I guess :) I made this cute dress for my granddaughter and she just loves it! It's nice and cool and so easy. I plan on making her some more before summer is over.

Haven't done much quilting lately :(, but a lot of stress around here and not too conducive to being super creative. Hopefully as the garden season winds down and it gets cooler I'll get back at it. Hopefully I'll have more pictures of the other outfits I made BreeAnn this summer. It's so fun to make clothes for her because she loves them all.

Be sure and go to greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com. They're having a huge giveaway, plus they have cute patterns and great fabric!!

groan...

This was my weekend starting with Friday:

sick, VERY SICK, sick, sick but a little better. I didn't even get to see the town fireworks!! :(
Hopefully this passes soon- I had plans for sewing and gardening this weekend...oh well.
It's been raining all day today and we really needed it.
Hope everyone's week is going better than mine :)

Here is something I finished-Yay!

This is a pattern I designed and this is the first one I've made with it. There are some things I'll do different on the next one, but that's part of the designing process I guess. This is the first thing I have ever designed and I like it! I really like this fabric too. My first attempts at this will be made from my stash until I get it how I want it. The handles are "recycled" from a $.99 purse from a yard sale. Did you know purse handles new cost from $5-$8 ?! So I've been looking at yard sales, thrift stores etc, for purses with handles I like. So what do you think? My next one will have pockets inside and then I have ideas for other options.

This crazy blog thing :( I love cherry tomatoes and that picture up there is my cherry tomato plant that I have in a container on our patio. I'm excited that container gardening is actually working for me! (the picture was supposed to be down here with this writing...:b) Can't wait to eat some! Our weather has been unusually cool this year, so our garden is late in producing.

Just one more note- I think I may have a giveaway soon...:)

I sure have missed blogging lately- haven't been able to use a computer for a while. I was hoping to have some new pictures too, but... I haven't actualy finished anything for a while, unless of course you'd like to see my finished ironing pile :)? I was hoping to get my red, white, and black quilt basted, but I ended up not having enough backing fabric. Sooo, I'm going to try what I've seen many of you do, piecing the back. I have some red leftover and we'll see how it works out.
I have been doing some more planting and watering of some lovely flowers and seedlings. Maybe I'll try to take some pictures of that. I'll try to post again sooner next time :)
My grandkids should be waking from their naps soon so I better go for now.
Have a great weekend!

Aren't these just the cutest?!! They arrived today- 50 cornish cross chicks and 1 turkey. His name is Leroy. I know, you aren't supposed to name them but I always do. I just love babies, animal or people. Leroy is so curious already- he wasn't a bit afraid when I picked him up. I'll have to remember to take pictures when he is bigger because bronze turkeys are beautiful.

It's been raining along with thunder and lightning here this week. I'm glad for cooler weather. We've been finishing planting the garden and doing some cleanup work around the yard.

I have been sewing - some on another quilt top and some on a summer outfit for my granddaughter. Pictures to come :) Have a great week all!

Over at allpeoplequilt.com they are having an apron challenge, so my daughter and I decided to enter. This is my apron and I really like the way it turned out! The picture at the top is the ruffle that I made from a favorite vintage pillow case the had ripped.

So everyone go over to allpeoplequilt.com and vote for your favorite apron (hope it's mine :)

This is my other quilt top I finished recently. I am definitely going to try machine quilting on it. A lady in our Guild gave 2 block patterns a month for a year, so you only made the 2 blocks per month. I didn't use all of them and on some I made 2. And this is what I came up with. I'm going to do a pieced binding, so there will be bright color on the outside. I like it pretty well.

Thank goodness it is cooler today! I thought I was going to melt this week :b! We could use a little rain too, but just being cooler is a blessing...especially at my age!

quilt top finished!

A quilt top finished -hurray!!! I finally got the backing fabric, so now to get it put together. I haven't decided if I will attempt machine quilting or hand quilt it. I do know how I want to quilt it though. The colors are not "me", but I do like how it turned out. Always something new to learn when designing your own. I think I would have liked a narrower red border... oh well :) The wonky part was fun and I'd like to try that again. I have another top finished, but I think I'll put that up tomorrow.

See the cute little head in the left corner? That's my grandson Kenny. Any time a camera is seen he says, "cheese!" Cutie!

Wow! what fun all the giveaway blogs have been!! Maybe I'll win something? It's been so fun I think I may have a giveaway sometime :) Have you been visiting all those neat blogs?

Lookee at these! These are some of my first charm packs and I'm excited about starting this quilt. It'll be just a simple 4 patch with sashing- I hope it turns out well. Love the bright colors :)

It certainly has been warm here and the garden is almost planted. We should finish Sat. Plus we're getting piggies that day too. Summer is very busy around here, so I don't get to sew quite as much as I'd like. How about you all? Anybody else gardening? how about container gardening?

Have a good day:)

art quilt

This is my first art quilt. It's just small and I machine quilted it. I chose fish because my husband likes that. The picture isn't that great- I even used beads for the eyes. It was pretty fun, but very different from what I'm used to doing.

Another gnome sighting!

Doesn't he look surprised because I caught him in the act of hiding in my plants?! He was probably trying to see if I was working on my quilts. Maybe I could try to find a gnome who specializes in finding pins I drop or who does all the basting... hee hee :)

gnome sweet gnome

I love my gnomes :) You never know when one will turn up! They remind me of my Dad ( who passed away last year), who would always encourage us to "look" for them whenever we went on hikes together. This one is my favorite because he had a basket carrier, and I can change what's in it for different seasons or occasions. Right now he's carrying yarn and some "knitting needles" for me. He's a handy fellow :)

Lookee what I found thrift shop/yard saling! Cool huh? The yarn is sock yarn and really soft :)

I've been busy getting some seeds planted and cleaning up around the house- still finding time to sew as much as I can.

Spring

I love white on whites! This is our cherry tree and the blooms are beautiful. It reminds me of white on white fabric- so clean looking :) We've been having our share of rain storms- perfect days for sewing and blogging (hee,hee)! Maybe someone should design a fabric like these blossoms? I feel another quilt idea coming on :D

wonky blocks

This is my first try at wonky piecing and I love it! Black and white are not usually my thing, but I was trying to use my stash. All the blocks were made from fat quarters I had and the white on white I had too. I did have to buy the fabric for the borders and backing. I'm slowly using my stash, but it sure is hard to not buy new...

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day- I certainly did!

recipe

Here's my recipe for the swap :)
Maple Nut Brownies

1/2 c. butter 1 1/3 c. flour
1c. maple syrup 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla 1c. coarsely chopped walnuts or shredded coconut

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 9x13" pan. Beat butter and syrup in large bowl. Add rest of ingredients and mix until well blended. Spread batter in pan. Bake 25-30 min. Cool before cutting.
Very Yummy!!

Isn't she just the cutest?! My sweet granddaughter really loved the skirt I made her. She liked it's "twirlyness" :)

This is another project I've been working on. It's crocheted with cascade 220 wool yarn and I love the bright colors! I'm about 1/2 way done with it- need to finish before it gets too warm!
I've got my quilts ready for my first quilt show. It's at the end of the month and I'm excited to be entering!

May Day

Went yard saling today and then hit the May day sale at our local fabric shop. I was looking for some fabric for the border and backing for a quilt I'm working on, but didn't find any I liked. Not that I came away empty-handed :) I did find some for sashing for a different quilt and some cute FQ for some tote bags. Tired now...zzz

Here are a couple of quilts I finished recently. The first one was a sample for a class I taught and was my first attempt at machine quilting. The second is one I made for my husband who is an avid fisherman. You can't see it well, but the blue has fish hooks all over it. I love piecing quilts and ideas are always spinning in my head for a new one! :)

Hey! Welcome to my blog. I'm still learning about all this but hopefully I'll be posting pictures soon.