A country mouse in the city

I'm still here...but not "here"

2009-09-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hello to anyone who is still visiting me here or has found this blog. I have been through a life altering event, and finally feel like I am becoming myself again. To help me in my fresh start I have also started a new blog. I will be posting at least once a week and hope to be blogging much more by the time the holidays roll around. If you would like to visit me at my new blog you can visit me here. I will still have my main focus be on quilting, but also sprinkle in my love of running and cooking. I will no longer be posting here, but I would again like to thank all of you who have come to visit me while I was here.
Warmest country wishes,
country mouse

testing, testing, 123

2008-12-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Do you see what I see?

2008-11-18T10:33:00.001-08:00

Yup, that's snow! Actually I'm kind of excited about it. Living in Ohio I've come to really love the changing seasons. I remember what was going on when I was younger because the seasons trigger memories. I couldn't imagine living somewhere where the change of seasons weren't so pronounced. Well, for the last couple years winter snow has come quite late (we've been lucky to have a white Christmas the last few years). I was really starting to miss the snow in November around Thanksgiving and in December at Christmas time, and it looks like I won't be missing it this year. Yippee!! Ok, yes, I know I'm weird :cP Another thing that has me excited...one of our local radio stations has already started playing Christmas music! Now I will admit that maybe it is a little early to be playing it 24/7 (I hate when people just gloss over Thanksgiving, it is one of my favorite holidays) but I love the fact that when I feel in the mood to hear some Christmas music...like when I am working on those Christmas gifts...the music is only a button away. Both of these things have given me a lift on a day when I can really use it. My personal situation is making it a tough day for me. I'm on a total emotional roller coaster. I keep reminding myself that, yes, things are tough but the end is in site and I WILL make it through. I try to keep focus on the positive and find some time to do a few things that will make me happy. So with that said, I am about to go make myself a nice big cup of cocoa, open the curtains wide, turn on some Christmas music and get some sewing done :cD I'll try to have a quilty update for you next post. Til then, warm country wishes all!!

P.S. Go check out Paula's blog. She is giving away 2 beautiful little quilts to celebrate both her blogaversary and 200 posts...not to mention she just has a great blog :cD

Simple is best

2008-11-13T07:26:00.001-08:00

Happy Thursday everyone. Been quite a week here. Sometimes the stress of daily life for me makes me feel as though I am in a vice, or maybe being drawn and quartered :cO I'm sure we've all felt the pressure of feeling like you are being pulled in so many directions you don't know which way is up!! So I have been trying my best to enjoy some of the simple things in life. Sometimes it isn't that easy to focus on these things. They can be the little things that we sometimes overlook. A child's laughter. Those few moments of silence we can find, even in some of the most unexpected of places. Watching a cat stretch and enjoy that warm spot on the floor created by a brilliant beam of sunlight. The sheer joy in the process of creating whatever it is you put your hands to. A good home made meal. Things we can take for granted. Things we do everyday that, since we are in a constant state of "go go go" we don't take time to appreciate. I would like everyone to take at least a minute or two to focus on one simple pleasure today. Take a few deep breaths, and enjoy at least one thing that will bring you a smile :cD

The sewing process has been kind of slow here as of late. I have been able to get some more string blocks done, and a little more done on my quilt-along. I am VERY happy to announce that after what probably seems like forever, my pay it forward gifts are DONE!!! YIPPEE!! Now all I have to do is get some addresses and I can get them in the mail. I do have a picture of what I will be sending, but I will wait to share it til they reach their destinations.

I was also thrilled to receive an fat little envelope in the mail yesterday from Andrea. I was lucky enough to win a contest on her blog and won this adorable little pincushion and wonderful fabric.

I haven't decided what I will do with the fabric just yet. I think it would make great fabric for a Christmas project, but for sure it will be used for something special :cD Thank you soooo much Andrea!!!

I am hoping to get out to the fabric store today, it is a dreary fall day here in Ohio so (in my opinion) it is the perfect kind of day to go get cheered up by some bright, beautiful fabric. Hope you all have a great day!! Warm country wishes.

Its Election Day!!

2008-11-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking of how blessed I am to live in a country where we are able to have a say in who it is who leads our country. Now I am not going to endorse any candidates. I feel everyone should educate themselves on the candidates and issues they are voting on and make the decision that they believe to be the right one. It is a great honor and responsibility that we have. So I would like to encourage everyone out there to get out and vote, but just in case you need some extra incentive....I just had to share this picture :cD

Ok, I just couldn't help but share that picture. Please don't think it is in any way making light of the seriousness of the elections this year, but I pass this sign every time I go to my friends house and the chalkboard part at the bottom changes from time to time, and I just got a chuckle out of it.

Not too much quilty to share this time. Been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and the fall foliage. Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday and again...PLEASE get out there and vote. Thanks

Warm country wishes

new month = fresh start

2008-11-01T10:46:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! Wow its November already. The summer months just flew by and now we are closing in on the end of the year. I can hardly believe it. I feel a renewed sense of energy and a new desire to get back to "normal" (believe me, in my family normal is a VERY relative term lol) The air is getting cooler and fall is definitely in the air. And so with the beginning of the season, I too, am going to try my darndest to focus on a new beginning of my own. I had to get a quick picture of the pumpkins on our porch. We did have 2 that we had carved, but they were well past their prime. I just love the rich orange colors! The painted one one of the mouslings picked out, and the one on the right came home from a field trip (and that one is going to be turned into pumpkin pie on Monday ;cD)

Also snapped a picture of a lone little dandelion among the fall leaves on the ground. Now is it just me or is this little one a bit of a late bloomer? I just don't remember having dandelions this late but then again, I could be mistaken. I just had to snap a picture after my little one said "Mommy, look its the first flower!" Too cute!!

On to quilty news :cD Yesterday I spent part of my day in Amish country on a shop hop. I never have enough day to do as much as I would like. So much inspiration!! So much fabric!! One of these years I am going to have to try to get to all 12 shops. Their theme this year was Pineberry Creek. I really liked the fabric...very country...and picked up a couple kits that I plan on turning into some throw pillows. I've also gotten some sewing done. I finally got those borders for the quiltalong quilt started. I love to use up as much fabric as I can. I hate to see any go to waste if I can help it. So I used up the scraps I had, cut them into strips and, well here is what I have so far...

Also got several string quilt blocks done. I have 256 done and I need 308 although I can't for the life of me figure out what I wanted the dimensions of the quilt to be :cS I just know I wanted a BIG, WARM quilt for the winter and these string quilts (with extra fluffy batting and flannel for the back) really fit the bill.

This is just part of the blocks I have. I have another stack just as big as the one on the right put aside waiting on the rest of the blocks to be done. I just love these string quilts. I love looking at all the blocks and seeing all the different fabrics and remembering the quilts that the fabric went into. Well, I am off to get some more things done. Not the least of which is to put finishing touches on my PIF gifts. I am soooo excited to finally have everything almost ready and ready to mail out by the end of the week. Hope everyone has a weekend filled with lots of your favorite things. Warm country wishes all!!

Purging

2008-10-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been going through all my stuff (read fabric, blocks, tops etc) and have come to the conclusion that I may have to do some purging of my stash. Yes, it pains me. All the fabric I have I have picked out because I saw some beauty in it or it was gifted to me. And I tend to keep all my scraps because I am so the scrappy quilter, but I am moving on with things in my life and am feeling more and more like I need to leave some of those little pieces behind or get rid of them. It is so hard to go through and get rid of some of this fabric because even the littlest pieces are beautiful, but then I realize that worrying about all those little pieces and what may become of them are a stress I don't need.

That got me to thinking about life in general. How much do we carry with us that are those 'little scraps' that tend to weigh us down. All those little inconsequential decisions that really haven't or won't effect our lives that we drag around and question. We second guess ourselves. As I am moving forward I am going to really try to have more confidence in myself. To know that I am able to make decisions and that not everything is worth the worry that I bestow upon it. It can be very hard at times, but I AM trying.

On a more positive note, I have been able to get some quilting done. It is a lovely thing when life starts to reach a state of equilibrium after a LOT of turmoil. I have been able to get some hand quilting done on my scrappy bargello quilt. I have also gotten several more blocks done for my string quilt that I have been working on FOREVER! lol and I think I may have found my next long term project (like I don't have enough of those already :cD). I have seen a few log cabin quilts that were made with itty-bitty blocks. Well, I printed out the paper piecing pattern for a 4 inch finished log cabin block. I only have one done, but I love that little block. So I am keeping at least some of the little scraps I just can't bear to part with to use in more of those blocks. Now I am thinking it will take me quite a while to get this done, but I really feel it will be well worth the effort.

I also have to admit that the weather is also helping to cheer me up. Fall is my favorite season of the year. I have to get out and get some pictures of the beautiful fall foliage to share. Well life is still rolling along at full throttle, and I have to go try to jump back into things, but I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Wednesday and warm country wishes!!

Is that a hurricane? No that's just my life :cP

2008-10-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I can't believe its been so long since my last post. Life just hasn't slowed down for me, but at least I can see a light at the end of a very long tunnel. Just a quick update on me...things look like they may finally settle down a bit. I will most likely be moving, so I may not have computer for a little while, but I am looking into cell phone plans that may let me mobile blog. At least then maybe I can stay in touch and get a little more consistent with being here. Right now that is probably my one main goal after getting things in order is to at least get a little more consistent. I have been sewing a little bit. Here are a couple tops I've gotten to work on. Both are without borders just yet, but I have ideas for both. The first is from amandajean's quilt-along. The second is my second full sized Random Ohio Stars top.

One of these days I'm gonna have a big ol' quiltfest and just baste and quilt up a lot of these puppies. Right now I'm just enjoying the process of sewing and reaping the stress reducing benefit it gives me. I also will have the pay it forward gifts in the mail before the end of the month. I really have to thank those that signed up on my blog for their infinite patience, and I am excited to have things 90% of the way done and ready to mail out. Well, I'm sorry this is such a short post, but I really felt that I needed to at least check in. This weekend is busy for me, so with any luck I will be back on Monday to check in with y'all again. Warm country wishes all!!

Enjoy the journey

2008-09-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know that title may be a little cliche, and maybe not so creative on my part, but I am truly starting to appreciate that saying. Like everyone else, I have my up days and my down days, and today while sewing (yes, I actually did some sewing today :cD ) my mind started to wandering.

With all the pressures of life that weigh me down, why do I not try to find the joy in the simple, everyday things that I do? Why do I put more pressure on myself? I'm going to focus mainly on my quilting, but these thoughts apply to other areas of life as well. My blog used to have a UFO list. I started thinking why do I daily remind myself of what I haven't done? Do I really need to be reminded of all those things? Didn't I enjoy the process that produced those "UFOs"? and Why shouldn't I continue to enjoy that process? I haven't pieced many blocks of late, and I truly enjoy that process. I love to challenge myself with more complex blocks. I love to see the level of accuracy that I have been able to reach with the more simple blocks. I love playing with new fabrics. What is the harm in having some orphan blocks? Having a few more flimsies in the closet waiting for the quilting never hurt anyone did it?

Why do I stress over perfect points? Why not just enjoy the creative process? I really don't think when we are remembered by our family and friends the conversations are going to start with "Boy do you remember the perfect points her/his blocks had?" or "I'll always remember her/his perfect quarter inch seam allowance?" As time goes by and life continues to hand me challenge after challenge I am beginning to more and more appreciate the process and to be happy to be able to create things of beauty, things that will be used, things that will be loved whether they are "perfect" or not.

So tonight I broke out some block kits from a shop hop I participated in last fall, and just enjoyed cutting the fabric, peicing the blocks, pressing the patches, heck even the 'frog stitching' I had to do. Let me just say it does really help to read the instructions BEFORE you start stitching :cD...found that out tonight. lol Are my points perfect? Some are, some aren't. Are my seams perfect? Well, no. Hence the not-so-perfect points ;cD But after some thought here are the truly important questions (to me, at least) Is my stress level down? Yes. Do I feel happier? Yes. Do I feel like I accomplished something? Yes. And I know in the end when this quilt is finished the recipient will love it. Not because it has perfect points. Not because of its accurate seams. Not because of the consistent stitch length of the quilting, but because it is something that is beautiful, and made especially for them with their favorite colors and fabrics and the best effort I could put forth. And the fact that it will be appreciated makes me feel happiest above all others. I know I have UFOs sitting in my closet, and drawers, and boxes, and... well, you get the picture. But I know that most of them will get done eventually, and I will no longer feel guilty about having them or starting a new project. I will focus on the joy the process brings me, and continue to quilt on. Quilt on my quilting friends!! :cD

In praise of small projects

2008-09-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, its me. Remember me? Boy I hope so ;cD Let me start off by saying its been too long since I've been here and blogging. When you almost don't remember your password to log-in...well...need I say anymore? lol My life is still kinda upside down. I want to apologize for not being more sharing about my situation. I don't know why I can't bring myself to just tell you all what is going on, but I just can't yet. I want to thank all of you who keep me in your thoughts and prayers. They are all so appreciated!!

On to more fun stuff. You all know the kind of fabrics I tend to lean toward. With the name Country Mouse I'm sure you all noticed that I tend to gravitate toward the darker, richer country colors of lines like Thimbleberries and such. So someone please tell me how I end up with fabric like this?

Ok, seriously, no one needs to tell me how I ended up with them. I have a horrible fabric addiction and sometimes the colors and fun designs just scream out to me (like the third one down on the right hand column...I LOVE that one :cD) and I just HAVE to buy a fabric. That and I have two little mouselings that love to pick out fat quarters and how, in good conscience, could I not encourage their love of fabric *grin* So what have I been doing with these little treasures (most of them are just fat quarters)? Here is my new little obsession...

This is my own pattern for a tri-fold wallet. Why did I start working on these? Well besides the fabric I wanted to use, and I think this is a great way to use that fun fabric that may not make it into a quilt, I had been looking for a wallet, found one at a dollar store that I liked, but when I started using it found it had some flaws that I really didn't like. So I designed my own that was similar yet different. I'm still working out some of the details that I'm not happy with yet, but the one in the picture above is the one I use and I am really happy with it. Perfect or not. Also with life being as topsy-turvy as it is I love having small projects that I can get done. It feels good to feel like I'm accomplishing something in some area of my life when I feel like I'm just running and getting nowhere in others.

I am still working on the setting blocks for my quilt-along. I want to send out a HUGE thank you to amandajean. She saw my last post and offered to send me some more of the fabric I needed for the setting blocks if I didn't have enough. Well, I didn't and not just the fat quarter I needed to finish, but about a whole YARD of that fabric showed up in my mailbox a few days ago. Now I know I have enough coordinating fabric for binding and everything. I am working on a little something to let her know how much I appreciate her generosity :cD Hopefully I will have a picture of a finished quilt to really soon.

Well, I am going to hop off here. We are supposed to get some thunderstorms today, and the pressure shift is wreaking havoc on my sinuses. Pair that with a monster migraine, and, well... :c( At least I know they won't last forever, thank goodness. Gotta keep thinking of the positive! Hope you all have a great day & warm country wishes to all!

Just a quickie :cD

2008-08-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

First off I wanted to thank all of you for the compliments on the quilt top in my last post. I am thrilled that so many of you liked it and got the feeling of stars over a mountain range. That was exactly what I was hoping people would see :cD

I also wanted to share a picture of my finished blocks for amandajean's quilt along. I am going to move some of the blocks around so I have the fabrics more evenly spread throughout the quilt. I just happened to notice that the three blocks on the far right hand side all have the same fabric in them. Gotta space those out ;cD

I'm also excited that I happen to have 2 fat quarters that are the same color stripes, just different widths, so I think I may have enough of them to use for the setting blocks. Yea!! I'm going to get to cutting and hopefully have a picture of some setting blocks to share soon. Also going to get working on getting my Pay it Forward gifts done. My goal is to have them done by the end of the month. I finally feel like I may be getting back on track (well with my sewing anyway), and that feels sooooo good! Warm country wishes all!!

One loose end tied up...well, almost

2008-08-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Hope you all had a good week. Things are still rough around here, but I was able to make time for myself and the mouselings. First off this past weekend was the Football Hall of Fame parade. I was able to go with a friend of mine and we had a great time. It never ceases to amaze me how many people show up for it. We parked in a nearby store parking lot (so I could get myself some coffee and a chocolate chocolate chip muffin...yum!) and walked down to the parade route. We were near the end of the route and even there there must have been a couple thousand people within a 3 block span...and the parade route is about 2 miles long if I remember right!! I really wish I would remember to take my camera to these things cause I would LOVE to have pictures to share with you. Then on Monday the mouselings and I went down to the Ohio State Fair. We had loads of fun! The kids got to ride lots of rides, we watched the pig races, caught the bear show, had some fair food, and just had a blast! Again, I need to remember to take my camera along because, again, I have no pictures to share :c( One of these days I'll remember to start throwing that camera in my purse before I leave the house!

Anyway, on to quilty news. I finally was able to get one of the "loose ends" tied up. My last on-line group swap obligation was to make a quilt top from blocks that your swap mate would send you. Remember these? Well, I started thinking about stars...seeing stars, stars and stripes, moon and stars....and here is what I came up with.

I hope my swap mate likes it. Her only request was that she wanted scrappy. I thought about traditional settings, but really, I like to find interesting setting if I can. I may like traditional quilts and colors, but I also like to think a little outside the box sometimes. I also want to thank my swap mate for her incredible patience with me. I am so sorry to have taken so long to get this done. Now all I have to do is get this baby in the mail and I can move on to the next thing on the to do list :cD

Well, I'm off to get some house work done, and hopefully get a run in before I have to head off to work today. Hope you all have a great weekend!! Warm country wishes!!

Could it be? Yes, it is!

2008-07-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

I actually got a little bit of sewing done! Ok, not much, but all considered I'm happy to get ANY done lately. It actually felt really good to hear that familiar old hum of my sewing machine. And I know she missed me too :cD Here is a picture of blocks 10 and 11 of amandajean's quilt along...

Also, remember all those little Ohio Stars? Well here is the end result (mind you its not quilted yet)...

Don't ask me why I've never made many little quilts. It is a nice change of pace to have an almost instant gratification project. This came together pretty quickly, and quilting it will be a breeze compared to the bed sized quilts I normally make. I guess I just automatically equate "quilt" and "bed covering". I think I'm going to be working on more little quilts for a while though. Two reasons...1. with all I have on my plate right now, the thought of a large quilt is rather overwhelming. Working on smaller ones will give me the opportunity to create quilts without feeling the "Well, here's another quilt for the UFO list" feeling. 2. You all know I am a scrap quilt freak, and I keep scraps that are smaller than most people would keep, and these little beauties will give me the chance to use up some itty-bitty little scraps. Happy happy happy :cD

I'm off to finish up a few more things before I have to go to work. At least I have a short shift, I could use the hours, but I think I could use the time off a little more. Anymore, as long as things go smooth I'm one happy mouse. I think if I get the chance I may actually get a little more sewing time in yet today. Aaaahhhh...sewing therapy...is there anything any better for relieving stress? Ok, maybe some retail therapy, maybe I can squeeze some of that in too ;cD Hope you all have a great Thursday. Warm country wishes!!

An unexpected absence

2008-07-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone out there in blog land. I have to apologize for my absence as of late. I will be completely honest and let you know that I have been dealing with some personal issues the last couple months, and haven't really been able to find time for a lot of things I would normally do in my spare time. So unfortunately that means not a lot of sewing to talk about. I have gotten one teddy bear done for a friend that has asked me to make some bears out of her late father's old sport coats, and since a post with no pictures can be boring, here is at least one. His head wasn't sewn on quite straight, and I thought about taking out the stitching and reattaching it, but decided against it in the end. I think his "not quite straight on" look gives him some charm. I am hoping to get at least one more done this week or so then I'll be evaluating the fabric left from the coats and maybe making one more after that. Everything you see was from part of the jacket, from the button eyes to the silky lining for the ears and pads of the feet to the felt nose.

I have been slowly but surely working on the quilt along...no I haven't forgotten about it. Just wish I had more time for it. I am actually going to go and work on it after I'm done blogging and surfing just a little bit. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share soon. Also to those who are doing the PIF exchange I haven't forgotten about you either. I have been able to work on your gifts and hope to have them done soon. I can never thank you enough for your patience with me.

As for my life in general, I've had quite a curve ball thrown my way. I really don't want to get into details but it is one of the toughest things I've ever had to deal with. Hopefully I will be able to look back at this time in my life and see the lessons I've learned, the strength I've gained and be able to use them in my future. I think things are starting to settle into some sort of "normal", so I hope I will be able to get back to some sewing, blogging and visiting my blogging friends more than I have been in the last month and a half. Please know that I am still lurking around and as soon as things settle down a bit more, I will be back and blogging like before. Warm country wishes y'all!

Block number 8 and a big beautiful stash buster :cD

2008-06-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I am so excited to post some progress today. First I want to share my quilt along block number 8. It feels so good to be all caught up.

Now then, remember this one? Well this baby is all basted and ready to go. I got the backing pieced tonight, and I am one step closer to another finish. Yippee!!

Here is the front...

Here is the back...

I don't know exactly how much fabric I used up from my stash, but I do know that the entire quilt is made from what I had on hand here at the house. Well, except for the batting, I had to go buy that. I have been on a big 'use up what I have already' kick lately. Even more so than when I started blogging in January. We have been having some personal issues here and finances are a bit tight right now so I am doing my best to curb my spending. I figure I have enough finished tops and fabric in the house right now I should be able to keep busy for a while, and save my money for a big shop hop coming up in late October and early November ;cD (and one of these days I'll figure out how to take better pictures)

We never did get to the movies earlier this week, so I guess we'll have to rent Alvin and the Chipmunks. We did, however, get to go out to Chuck E. Cheese tonight. Mouseling number 2 has been asking to go since her older brother got to go with his classmates as an end of the year field trip. We had sooooo much fun!! The mouselings had a blast riding the little rides and playing the games. We are saving the tickets they won so they can add them to the ones they win on the next visit. I really have to remember to carry a camera with me, because I wish I had some pictures to share. I'll make sure to toss it in my purse next time.

Well, I have to work a big 'ol double tomorrow at work, so I am thankful to have gotten to have some fun today. Hope you all did too. Until next time, warm country wishes :cD

Tell me again what month this is?

2008-06-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I just couldn't help but ask that question. Here it is the middle of June, and the temperature this morning when I woke up was 47 degrees!! Yup 47!! Now I have to admit that I am a cooler weather person. I love the spring and fall seasons, but really now, this is darn cold for what is supposed to be early summer. At this rate we will be able to get out to go swimming in December! Seriously though, I do hope it warms up. Its hard to want to get out and play when the weather is just cold and gray. On the other hand it is rather conducive to quilting ;cD Speaking of which, I did get block 7 of amandajean's quilt along done the other day.

Here is a picture of the blocks I have done

I'm really happy with how they are coming along so far. I think I want to make sure I use more of the green in a few more of the remaining blocks as well as the striped fabric. Now I am starting to consider how I want to handle the setting blocks. I would love to use the fabrics from the bundle, but I'm wondering how controlled scrappy would look. Maybe I'll make a block up to see how it looks. I do need to get out and get more of the background fabric to make sure I have enough. I've also been working on my Pay it Forward gifts. Hopefully I will get them done by the end of July, I am really excited about what I came up with and can't wait to pass them along :cD

Well, its been hectic at work. Once school is out business always picks up, pair that with losing 3 kitchen employees in a week and a half and you can guess why I haven't been able to get done all I have been hoping to. I am so looking forward to my day off on Saturday. Gonna try to have a true Country Mouse kind of day. Some sewing, some baking, and some fresh air will do me a world of good I'm sure. I think I may indulge in a little 'retail therapy' too and do a little fabric shopping as well :cD Hopefully I will have a lot of progress to report. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Warm country wishes all!!

P.S. Though it might be fun to change my template. I'm gonna play around and see what else I can do. I would love to customize mine like some of the other great blogs I've seen :cD

So what am I working on?

2008-06-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I just wanted to pop in and let you all see what I've been up to. Not a whole lot really, but I have gotten some sewing done today. Wanna peek? Here you go...

Wow! Ummm, ignore the shape of that pressing board :cS Hey at least I can say it's a well loved piece of quilting equipment :cD Life is just still so crazy right now, I haven't got a lot of sewing time. But even just a little makes me feel so much better. Also got to do a little sewing on my Cathedral Windows the other day. I need to update the picture at the bottom of the page here. I am hoping to get block 7 of amandajean's quilt along quilt done yet tonight.

The mouselings are out of school and we are enjoying the sleeping in! Got to take them to their first real movie in a theater. A local theater is doing a kids summer movie fest that is free on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We went and saw Bee Movie this past Thursday and it was lots of fun. Mouseling 1 got a little restless part way through, mouseling 2 was absolutely mesmerized by the huge screen and sat on my lap the whole time. I think we are going to go this week too to see Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Spent most of the day cleaning...a normal Monday for our house, but did get out to enjoy the weather. We had some storms roll through last night that brought us a nice, cool, NOT humid day today. Hope we have more of the same tomorrow. Well, I know this is a short post, but I just wanted to check in. Hope to have more to share next time. Til then, warm country wishes!!

Summer already?

2008-06-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Where did the school year go? I can't believe this is the last day of school before summer vacation!!! I have to admit I will miss the 'me' time I had when both mouselings were at school, but I am looking forward to a fun summer...not to mention sleeping in :cD Time goes so fast!!!

I am excited to announce that I do officially have a UFO coming of the 'to do' list. This quilt was a round robin that I participated in a couple years ago. I designed and pieced/appliqued the center square then sent it on with the instructions that I just wanted anything spring-y, be it block patterns, colors, etc. I finally got around to machine quilting it and I just finished hand stitching down the binding yesterday. The piecing is not perfect, but I still love it. The colors are so bright and cheery. I think we are going to use it as a 'porch quilt'. We have a swing on our front porch and I thought this would be an nice quilt to use outside on those cool nights when you want just a little something to cover up with, or to add some softness to the swing itself.

I also wanted to share a picture of my quilt along block number 6. I can't believe that I am actually up to date on these blocks. Now I just have to catch up on some other stuff...a quilt top for a swap, machine quilting 2 tops that are ready to go. Then of course there is the other boring stuff, you know that house work stuff. Actually, its not that bad. My house is never going to be perfect, but I do love the sense of accomplishment that comes from walking through the house and seeing the beds made (covered with quilts, of course), the floors vacuumed, the dishes done. *contented sigh* Ok, maybe secretly I kind of enjoy housework, but let's keep that our little secret ;cD

I have also finally decided what I am going to do for the pay it forward exchange. Well, at least part of it. If anyone wants in I have one more spot available. Right now I have Purple and Paisley, and Sara that have signed up to play so if you would like to join in please let me know.

Well, its been a couple days with very little sleep for me so I am going to try to take a power nap and get some things accomplished before the day slips away from me. Hope you all have a wonderful day! Warm country wishes all!!

Hi. My name is Country Mouse, and I can't read...

2008-06-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Or I can't write, one or the other. Let me explain. I am doing the quilt along with amandajean at Crazy Mom Quits. I wrote down the instructions for block number 5. I was all excited to give it a try. Its a bit complicated, but I love complex blocks. (I did one for my BOM 2006 that had 96 pieces in a 12 inch block...yes you read that right!) So I went about cutting the pieces, laying them out on my portable pressing surface by my sewing machine and got to sewing. Everything seemed to be going fine, but I noticed that I had HUGE seam allowances on my flying geese units. Like almost a half inch as opposed to the quarter inch you are supposed to have. I thought to myself "Well, maybe my sewing is off a bit, so I'll just keep going." I got the block about 1/2 way put together when I started to realize "This just doesn't seem quite right." So I took the block apart and trimmed my blocks to give them the quarter inch seam allowance I thought they should have, all the while thinking the worst case scenario was I would have to completely re-do the block. After trimming all the units, back to the sewing machine I went and got to sewing. The result...

Ok, don't ask me why that loaded in here sideways, but you get the idea, everything came out just the way it was supposed to! So then I started to wonder. I knew I had my hand written instructions somewhere, did I write the wrong measurements or was there a typo in the instructions? Well, I checked amandajean's instructions and lo and behold I wrote the instructions down wrong. What a goof I am!! Guess the stress is getting to me :cD So anyway after taking the long way around to make this block, I double checked the measurements for block 6, and now it is ready to be sewn. I will say this, though, because I had to trim I had perfect quarter inch seams and my points on this block are better than I could have hoped :cD guess there is a bright side to everything, right?

I'm off to try to get block 6 done. I'm really enjoying this quilt along as well as blog hopping and seeing all the different color combinations that everyone is choosing. Not that I needed to add another UFO to the list, but I couldn't resist a star quilt ;cD Oh, and with any luck the next time I post I'll be able to move one of those UFO from the "to do" list to the "done" list AND have a couple pictures to share. Til then warm country wishes to all!!

I'm still around....

2008-05-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. First I want to say thank you to all that have continued to visit me. I really did not plan on taking a break from blogging, but, well, life has really gotten crazy around here. Not much time for quilting, but I have been sewing some when I can. I do have the first 4 blocks of amandajean's quilt along done. Recognize the fabric? :cD I am hoping to at least get the fabrics for block 5 cut today.

I've also been working on quilting my round robin quilt from a couple years ago and squeezing in other projects when I can. I am also deciding what I will make for the pay it forward exchange. So far I have 2 people signed up and there is still room for one more if someone else out there wants to play. I have been so busy with other things lately that sewing and blogging kind of fell off the radar for a while. Unfortunately, I can't promise that they are going to be regular things in the near future either :c( But I will try my best, they are a couple of my sanity savers.

Well, I know this is a short post, but I wanted to check in and let all of you that come to visit me that I am still here and when things start to calm down I promise I will have some more interesting reading for you ;cD Until then I will be lurking around blogland when I can, and am thinking of you all. Hope you are enjoying springtime and finding time for the special people and things in your lives! Warm country wishes all!!

A country mouse for Country Mouse

2008-05-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time can fly by! I'm telling you, it seems as though I can blink and a week has passed me by. Time has been filled with spring cleaning, school activities, yard work, and yes I have gotten a little sewing done too :cD I wanted to share with everyone what came in the mail yesterday. A while back I signed up on Ellen's blog for the Pay it Forward exchange. Yesterday I found a sweet little package on my front porch, and inside I found....

This beautiful table runner in wonderful warm country colors. It goes perfectly with the rest of the decor in my house!

And this sweet little country mouse! I wish I could figure out how to take a better picture of it, it is absolutely darling!! (and I really want to find a way to use it as the picture with my profile) Ellen used the same fabric you see in the table runner to make her and embroidered the eyes and nose. I love my PIF gifts, I can't thank you enough, Ellen!! Now its my turn...

"It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on.So here’s how it works:I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. Since this should be fun let's give a reasonable amount of time for the handmade item to be made and then sent to the recipients - how about 2 months? I will email each person for their mailing addresses and send a handmade gift and maybe some extra goodies.What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog to 3 different people. Unfortunately this is only possible for those of who have a blog. So come on.....and see who wants to pay it forward. :)"

Well I'm off to get some projects finished so I will hopefully have some more quilty pictures to share next time, as well as make time to work on some gifts for those who decide they would like to participate in the pay it forward exchange. Warm country wishes all!!

Monday, monday

2008-04-28T10:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! Ok so I realize its back to the grind today for many of you, but no reason it can't be a happy day anyway, right? :cD I had quite the fun weekend. First off the fabric that I won from amandajean came on Saturday. I just love seeing something in my mailbox other than bills and junk!!

Oh so pretty. I love blues and greens! Thank you so much amanadajean!! She is starting another quilt-a-long on her blog today. Its stars with alternate setting blocks, and I know just what fabrics I'm gonna use ;cD I am really looking forward to starting something new and different, and besides, star quilts are my favorites!

Next, I want to thank all of you that commented on my label making tutorial, and let you know the winner of my itty-bitty drawing is niki! If you could please send me your info I will get your set of quilt labels in the mail for you. I also went ahead and entered the tutorial contest at sew mama sew. I'm so excited that they decided to post my tutorial, especially considering it was my first try at one. So I want to say a warm welcome to anyone who is visiting my blog via theirs :cD

Now for some quilty stuff. I actually sat down and got a little sewing done. I have been working on a string quilt for a while. No rush to get it done really. Its going to be for my bed, and I already have one. I just want to make one with more of an overhang, then the one that is there now will go to one of the mouselings. Well, as I was sewing along trying to add strips to my 6.5 inch foundation squares I realized I have been acquiring more and more pieces of fabric at are just not big enough. So I started thinking, I can't bear to just throw fabric away. I just can't. So what do you do? Here's what I did...

I call them crazy cabin blocks. I'm sure its not a new idea, but I just took any old fabric scrap and built around it log cabin style. Once they were big enough, I squared them up to 5.5 inches. The only "rule" was to have good contrast between light and dark. I think they will make a fun scrap quilt, and I've used even more of the 'unusable' fabric. Gotta love that!!

Final picture to share is what I've been playing around with as far as my other hobby is concerned. I haven't been playing with my beading and jewelry making much lately, but I got stuff out to play around and made a couple fun cell phone dangles. Just some fun small projects :cD

Well, the weather here in Ohio has taken a dramatic turn. After several days of sunshine and 70+ degree weather, we are sitting here with seriously dreary skies and temps in the 40s! What a change!! I am still going to go out and run, but the rest of the day will be devoted to the sewing I haven't been accomplishing lately, and making some homemade chicken pot pie, mmmmm...... Hope you all are having a wonderful day, and get time to do the things you love with the ones you love. Warm country wishes all!!

Up and down, ebb and flow, wax and wane...

2008-04-25T07:08:00.001-07:00

Want to see the quilting I've gotten done this week? Really? Here ya go!

Not too impressive, huh? Actually here is a much more common scene from my sewing area this week...

This is our cat Xerxes looking at me saying "What? Not going to sew today? That's OK, I like sitting by this window best anyway!" I felt kind of bad that I haven't been sewing, but then I got to thinking, you know, I think all quilters (or anyone with any kind of hobby) goes through these times. You know, "down times". Times when for whatever reason you just don't 'feel it'. I know I go through these every once in a while. Right now I am just at a motivational low. I think its just a natural thing. I think maybe it has to do with the change of seasons too. Spring has finally burst out all over here in Ohio, and I am just aching to get out and enjoy as much of it as I can right now. So while my sewing has slowed down, my running has picked up. I actually went running on one of the trails that runs next to a river here with one of my friends from work. And while there were no wildflowers just yet, everything was so green and beautiful. The beauty made our 4 miler just fly by. I really have to learn to carry my camera more often because I really wish I had a picture to share with you. I'll have to remember one next time. I'm sure we'll go back because my friend said he really liked running there.

Then there's the yard work. Today I got to get out and trim down the shrubs between our house and our neighbors, trim up the rose bushes, and trim some stray branches from one of the smaller trees on our property. I have to admit I can tend to put off working out there, but once I get going, I love it. Not to mention that I love the way a nice, neat, freshly groomed yard looks. Hopefully we will get out to get some flowers this weekend or next :cD

The final baby quilt went to mom-to-be on Monday afternoon. She really liked it. I'm so glad! As funny as it sounds there is always a little part of my that is afraid of a reaction like "Oh, that's nice" then it just gets set aside. I'm sure many of you can identify. We put so much effort into our creations, and nothing can hurt more than an indifferent reaction. Well, for me anyway. I think I am going to try to work on something this weekend. I have that swap top to work on, and I'd really like to get some more blocks done so I can get a feeling of what my idea on paper will look like translated into fabric. I want to give myself enough time that if I don't like how its turning out I can go with plan B and still have it done in time.

Well, another weekend approaches. I have lots to do to get ready for it, so I will just finish up by wishing you all a great weekend and warm country wishes!!

More quilt labels

2008-04-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Kris at quilted simple had asked me if I would do a tutorial for my quilt labels. Well I've never done one before, but thought what the heck, I'll give it a go. Most of the labels I do are paper pieced so that is what I chose to show, so it will be a try at doing a paper piecing tutorial as well. So without further ado...here we go!
How many of us have bins overflowing with scraps? Or leftover fabric from a quilt you would like to do something special with? Well, here is your chance to make a little something extra for your quilts. Use those scraps to make pieced quilt labels!

I like to use paper pieced patterns to make most of my labels. This is a simple flying geese pattern that I drew up myself, but you can also use modified traditionally pieced patterns. I'll show an example of that later.

First, choose your scraps. For this one I am using mostly blues and cream. Make sure your scraps will be big enough to cover the shape you are using them for as well as leaving you enough fabric for a seam allowance. In this example I need to make sure the blue is big enough to cover the larger 'geese' and the cream covers the 'background'.

Choose the fabrics you will be using to be covering numbers one and two. Place them right sides together then place your fabrics on the wrong side of your paper (the side that is not marked.)

Flip everything over, and stitch ON the line between numbers one and two. You will want to shorten your stitch length so you will perforate the paper so when you take the paper off it will be easier and your stitches won't be pulled out. I have a computerized machine, and I set my stitch length to 1.5.

Next, fold the paper on the line you just stitched and cut away the excess fabric to leave your 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Now flip and press with a dry iron.

Next, choose what fabric you will use for piece number three, and put it right sides together with the one/two unit. Flip your label over and sew on the line between (in this case) numbers one and three.

Again, flip and press with a dry iron. Here is your first geese unit. At this point you can eliminate some waste by doing the following.

Flip your label over to the drawn side and fold the paper back on the next line you will sew on.

(This is a picture of the paper folded back)

Now trim away the excess to about 1/4 inch.

Now you will be able to line up the next piece you will sew with the finished unit and you will already have your quarter inch seam.

Line up your next piece of fabric, flip your label back over and sew on line number four.

Keep sewing adding pieces in numerical order until you have a completed piece. Now its time to trim.

Using your ruler and rotary cutter, line up the 1/4 inch line on the outside line of your label pattern. Trim off the excess so you have a 1/4 inch seam the entire way around your label. Then remove the paper from the back.

And here we are! You can call it finished at this point, but I like to take it a step further so I will have finished edges to work with when I go to sew it on my quilts.

Place your label right side down on a piece of lightweight fabric. I usually use muslin, but I have used used dryer sheets. You could also use fusible interfacing.

Sew a quarter inch seam on all four sides.

Trim your edges even. I also trim my corners on a diagonal to make turning them a little easier.

Cut a slit in the back and turn right side out.

Give it a good pressing (unless you used the fusible interfacing) and ta-da! One finished quilt label ready for signing and attaching to your next creation! They may take a little time, but once you start making them they are kind of like potato chips...you can't make just one. Well, its like that for me anyway ;cD

Now for those of you that don't like paper piecing here is my favorite modified traditionally pieced label. It is a modified churn dash. Start with a 3 1/2 inch square for the center (this is where you will sign the label) then four 1"x 3 1/2" rectangles of both your churn dash fabric and background fabric as well as two 1 7/8 inch squares of both your churn dash fabric and background fabric. Then just piece your block.

Here is a picture of my finished churn dash label :cD

Well, there you go!! I hope I didn't confuse anyone too much. I know there are some great paper piecing tutorials out there if mine didn't quite make sense. There are lots of paper pieced patterns to be found that can be used as part of a label. I also have a book called Foundation Pieced Quilt Labels 30 designs by Linda Causee that has awesome patterns in it. If you modify a traditional pattern, just make sure to leave enough room to sign it. (Like in the above example I enlarged the center square of a traditional chrun dash so there would be plenty of room to sign it.) Like I've said, I've been making lots of these lately and while I was stitching these I started thinking that maybe for those of you who don't have time to make some yourself or for those of you looking to jump start your collection, I would like to give away a set of 6 labels. Just leave me a comment and you will be entered into a random drawing. I will take names until April 27, then I will draw and post the winner next Monday. If you make some labels, make sure to post a picture. I would love to see them.

Well, I'm off to try to squeeze some more into my day. I hope you all find some time to do the things you love. Warm country wishes all!!

Another finish, another 'addiction', another weekend

2008-04-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

First I want to welcome all of you that have visited my blog, and for all the compliments on my last post! I have a neo-counter on my page and when I checked it about this time yesterday I had about 650 visitors, now I'm up to 770! Wow!! So a big welcome and thank you to all who have visited and to those who were kind enough to comment. Its so much fun to see that counter go up, and to meet new bloggers!! :cD

Now then, the quilt you see on the left here is my latest finish. I know its not the greatest picture, but...well...I don't think its the greatest quilt either. It's not a 'bad' quilt. I like the pattern, but I would definitely make sure all my lights read LIGHT and all my darks read DARK next time. Then I used a high loft bat... a really high loft bat. Ugh, never gonna do that again. I just tied it so its very fluffy and warm, but wrestling with that bat was not so fun. Then to put the binding on. My hands have never gotten so tired putting on a binding. So all in all this quilt was a bit of a learning experience (see you never stop learning, I've been quilting about 6 years and still learning), but it will make a nice warm quilt for someone. I think I may just donate this one. I feel good about getting another quilt finished, but I have to be honest. I am about ready to start on a new project. Its not that I don't want to finish what I've already started, but I think we all know the fun and excitement of starting something new. Maybe I'll try to finish one more UFO before really starting a new project, but I don't know if I can resist the temptation ;cD

I have made a few more quilt labels. Boy are these little guys addicting!! The one with the basket still needs more button 'flowers', but I think its my favorite so far. Before long I'm probably going to have as many quilt labels as I will need for all the quilts I will ever make :cD lol!

Maybe I'll find something else fun to do with them ;cD

So many other fun things going on here too. First I won a guessing game on crazy mom quilts. I couldn't believe I won! Thank you so much amandajean!! Someone had asked her how many quilts she has in her home so she made a game out of it. You'll have to go over and check out the beautiful, HUGE stack of quilts she has in her home. Also been running consistently. That feels sooooo good!! And I may have actually found someone to go running with! I can't tell you the number of times I have had a friend of co-worker say to me "Boy I should start ________. (fill in the blank: running, walking, swimming, biking, etc.)". I love to get out and do those things, and love to get others involved when I can. I used to be a personal trainer too, so I like to try to motivate others. Whenever someone tells me that they would like to be more active I warn them that they better be serious because I will do my darnedest to get them out the door!! Well, a friend of mine from work said he wanted to start running so I told him where I would be yesterday, and that he was welcome to join me. Well, he showed up! I was so excited that someone was finally serious. So now I have a running partner for Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yippee!! We started some spring cleaning today too. OK, I know thats not necessarily fun, but it is nice to get the house cleaned and aired out. The weather has been absolutely beautiful. I will try to get out and get some 'springy' pictures to share. Finally I've decided that I will try to post something that I am thankful for at the end of each post. Like I've said before, I have been blessed, and I need to try to remember that always.

What am I thankful for today...

1. the beautiful sunshine we have had for the last several days.

2. my children, who despite being the occasional pains in the you-know-what, bring me such joy

3. my health and being able to enjoy running outside in the warmer weather

Well, I'm off again, hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! Warm country wishes all!!

Don't worry, be happy Tuesday

2008-04-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish this were the view out my window, but alas it isn't. It does, however, reflect the same kind of beautiful, clear day we are having today. This was actually taken at one of our state parks last fall. Anyway, to my post title. I woke up this morning did the usual...took the kids to school, had some coffee, surfed around blog land a little...and am kind of taken aback about the whole copyright issue. I tend to take on everyone else's problems. Its in my nature. I get more upset over someone else's trials than they do. So glancing out the window and seeing the crystal blue sky and dazzling sunshine I decided to get myself out there and enjoy a little of it, and try to clear my head before I had to pick up the mouselings.

I drove over to one of my favorite running tracks and started running. Not fast necessarily, but at a comfortable pace where I could enjoy the run. The 'bad' stuff started melting away. I started to realize how petty some things can be and how we should really take stock of what we have and be grateful for every day we are given. I have been truly blessed. I started thinking of what I have to be thankful for...

1. A healthy body that lets me get outside to walk, run, skip and jump.

2. My hearing and eyesight to be able to take in all the wonderful sights and sounds our world has to offer us. While running I saw geese, ducks, robins, cardinals, orioles, the buds on the trees, the grass getting greener and greener. I heard the birds calling from the trees, the water running from small streams into the lake the track runs around, the crunching of the gravel under my feet.

3. I have a great family. Yes, we have our disagreements and rough patches, but everyone does. But we all know that when push comes to shove we will be there for each other.

4. I have the ability to create and share my quilts with those I hold dear in my life. So what if someone else creates the same thing. When it comes down to it every work is an original creation by the quilter's own hands. I am not doing this to win awards or pay the bills. I do this as a labor of love, and my biggest hope for my quilts is that the recipient will cherish them.

When I got done running I felt so much better. It really does help me to clear my thinking. I know everyone's life can get clouded by problems in their own lives as well as the problems in their family's and friend's lives. There really is no way to avoid them. You can't run away (well, maybe you could, but that may not be the wisest choice *grin*), you can't wish them away, and dwelling on them doesn't really help either. I just have to remember that even when things look bleak, or things get you angry or upset to remember that it isn't ALL bad. I know there are so many of you going through things right now. Many of you are probably like me and take on other's problems as well. For all of you that are I hope that you are able to find a little time for yourself, to get away and count your blessings. I'm feeling so much better since I did. Here's hoping you all have a wonderful day!! Warm country wishes all!!

I'm on a roll!!

2008-04-14T07:19:00.001-07:00

Bruce's quilt was delivered to mom to be yesterday, and she was thrilled with it! I just love to see people's reaction when I deliver a quilt to them. There were a couple other people there when we opened it up and one commented that it looked like she was so happy she was going to cry. I even got a compliment on it from one of the male cooks! Now there's a compliment for ya!! And just in case you were all curious...yes after looking at the front she flipped it over to look for the special label :cD

Now then, someone do the happy dance with me! Here's number three just before I put it in the washer. I'm excited to have it done before the baby shower...I had visions of pulling an all-nighter to get it done the night before the shower. I'm really happy with how it turned out, especially the border. I've always wanted to try feathers, but have been a big chicken about it. I was looking at Lisa Boyer's blog when I found this entry where she shows you how she does a vine and leaf border. It's got the same kind of fancy look of feathers which I really like. Now I am no free motion expert, but after looking at her entry I thought, hey, what the heck? I'll give it a try. Here's a close up of the border. I think it turned out really nicely, I was so pleased with myself, I didn't think I could do something like this :cD

I also found something cool (well, I think so anyway) while surfing around the other day. A while back I had made a Random Ohio Stars quilt from the pattern on Quiltville. Not too long ago I hostessed a swap where we were going to make stars based on her pattern so I e-mailed her for her OK to use the pattern on her site as well as the picture of my quilt. Well, when I was on her site looking for another pattern I happened to pull up the Random Ohio Stars page and she has a link to a picture of my quilt on the page. I was excited anyway :cD If you want to check it out mine is the one quilted with diagonals. I also have to rant just a little, I was visiting Bonnie's blog and it has happened again that someone has used one of her patterns to sell as their own. I have read her blog for a while and I know this is not the first time this has happened. My heart sinks every time something like this happens. Bonnie is so generous to post so many free patterns for us to use. I really feel that she embodies the true, generous spirit of quilting. It saddens me when someone uses one of her patterns (or anyone uses anyone else's patterns for that matter) without permission or tries to pass it on as their own. Now I know that there are lots of quilters out there that come up with the same ideas at the same time. Its inevitable, and I don't know all the circumstances around patterns and publishing and all that stuff, but you would think someone would put a little effort into researching weather a pattern is an original or not. Then all the issues with copyright. Part of me would love to get into quilt designing, but honestly all the copyright stuff scares me off. I would hate to 'take' someone else's design unintentionally and have them come after me with copyright infringement. So for now I will just stick to designing for myself. Ok that's enough on that.

Well, its another day off for me, and with another finish under my belt I am contemplating what I want to do next. I am ready for something new, so I think I am going to go dig through my BIG pile of swap blocks and start working on something I haven't seen for a while. Or maybe I'll get working on that block-block swap top. I have finally decided on what I am going to do with the blocks...I think ;cD so I may give that a go. I may try to get some more labels made up. They are just too much fun!! Maybe a little more work on the Cathedral Windows. I found some inspiration to keep at it here. You have to go check out Kim's, absolutely stunning! I'm going to get a run in for sure for sure. I have finally be able to get some sort of regularity with my running and such again. We also joined the local community center so I have been trying to get over there and use the Nautilus equipment a couple times a week. Oh, so much I would love to do and the clock moves way too fast!! I'm off to try to squeeze in as much as I can :cD Warm country wishes all!!

Edit: I was just at Quitville, and Bonnie has explained some of the whole copyright thing. I guess the published book was considered an original so there was no copyright issues. All too confusing for me. Like I said, that's why I guess I'll just design for myself.

a finish, finishing touches, and fun stuff

2008-04-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

Yea!! Two down, one to go!! I finally finished the log cabin baby quilt, and the label is on, just not signed. I hope mom and dad to be will like it. I just have to tell you a story about the baby on the way. The mom to be is a co-worker of mine, and when she found out she was pregnant with their second son she and dad to be started tossing around names for the little one that was on the way. Now to give you an idea of mom's sense of humor she said she wanted to name him Isaac. Their first son is named Michael....she thought it would be cute to be able to call them 'Mike and Ike'. :cD (I have to admit I thought it was pretty cute too.) Well, dad said no and they decided on the name Bruce. So I asked her what his middle name was going to be, she just looked at me and smiled and said 'Wayne'. I just couldn't help myself, I chuckled and said 'really?'. She giggled a bit but she said that yes, she was serious. Now I don't know if they are doing a Batman themed nursery, but I can just picture those two in a couple years taking their little boys trick or treating and dressing Bruce up as Batman. He starts to wander away and one of them says, "Bruce, Bruce Wayne you get back here!!" and the other going "Shhhhhh....you'll give away his secret identity!!!" lolol :cD Now I also have to tell you that I thought that it would be odd to name a child like that, but then it did occur to me that my dad, and my brother (who was named after my dad) have the first and middle names Thomas Edison. And yes somewhere back the family tree my dad's side of the family DID know Thomas Alva Edison. Just an interesting little factoid ;cD

So today is my day off and I did get a finish in for the day so I thought I would take a break from the quilting of quilts, but not sewing. I really try to put a label on all my quilts, and I really like to use scraps from the top if possible. I've given several co-workers baby quilts as gifts and after admiring the top they look for the label, and the special note I write for each baby. It makes me feel good that they appreciate the work that goes into it and they appreciate the finishing touch of the label. So today I took some time and made some labels from the book I received from a swap for some future quilts. The two on the right are ones my swap mate made for me, and the three on the left are ones I made today. The angel in the center is going to be the label for baby quilt number three. I just love pieced labels, they are quick and fun to make and make a great addition to the back of the quilt.

Now for the fun stuff. Ok, fun for me anyway. Like I said it is my day off so I had a true Country Mouse type day. We did a little cleaning, did a little sewing, and a little cooking. We are having crock-pot chicken and dumplings for dinner (one of my absolute favorites!!) and DD and I made a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread to have afterwards...yummy!!

I am hoping to still make it out for a run yet today while the weather is still nice. Its been in the upper 60s for the last few days, but someone informed me that we may get one more snowfall. Remind me again what month this is?!? Hopefully it won't come. I am really enjoying the daffodils that are starting to bloom at the park. If the snow does come, I'm sure it will probably be the last of the season...thank goodness. I'm ready for the warm weather :cD

Well, I'm off again, hope you all have a great day! Warm country wishes all!!

And just where have you been?

2008-04-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

I remember hearing that from my family when I had been running behind, and that's all I could think of when I realized it has been more than a week since my last post. Its not that nothing has been going on, in fact the opposite has been, but since a good bit of it is kind of 'downer' type stuff I'm not gonna bore you all with that stuff. This is my upbeat place on the web, and darn it I'm really going to try to keep it that way!! :cD

So let's see....my on-line group's anniversary was a week ago Sunday, and I was a good girl and waited to open my package until the party. I was so proud of myself, self control isn't always one of my strong suits...especially when presents are involved ;D Here are the goodies that my swap mate sent me.

So much great stuff!!! My favorite things were the doodle/mouse pad (a GREAT idea, I can't tell you how many times I want to write down something I've seen on the web and go looking for paper. Now it's right there next to me.), the other is the book of quilt labels she sent me. I love to make special labels for my gift quilts and this book has awesome patterns. The two labels you see are ones she made for me. It was very much worth the wait!! It was also nice to get to chat with some of my on-line friends. I don't get to do that very often so it was a special treat for me.

Now then, on the quilting front I have Jessica's quilt about half way quilted, the baby log cabin all quilted and ready to be bound, and S's baby quilt grid quilted and ready to do free motion. It feels good to be seeing things get done. With all the stress that I've been dealing with here, I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the unfinished projects I've got going on. I've also made the decision, as hard as it is for me, that I will not join any more swaps after I've completed the ones I am in right now. At least until I get some other things in my life straightened out. Quilting is supposed to be an escape for me, and the pressure of deadlines is detracting from the fun factor. So I am going to just quilt for quilting's sake for a while. At least I have 6 weeks to complete the last swap I am in. It's actually kind of cool. You send your swap mate a set of blocks and they turn them into a top for you and send you back a completed top. Here are the blocks I have to work with. There are 8 - 12 inch blocks and 8 - 6 inch blocks. She said she is going for scrappy and other than that anything goes so I am going to break out the graph paper and sketch away til I come up with something I like. One nice thing is I can use up some scraps. Hmmmmmm.....I feel some ideas coming on :cD

I've also added a spot on the bottom of my page where I will keep track of the progress I am making on my Cathedral windows quilt. I will update it periodically as the quilt grows. I am totally hooked on this quilt. I love the portability of it!! Feel free to check it out if you feel so inclined.

Well it is 9:30 in my neck of the woods and I still have stuff to get done before I can call it a day. I hope everyone is making lots of progress. I am going to try to surf around blogland a bit before I turn in tonight, and I am going to try my darnedest to make sure I don't have another week pass me by before I post next time. Warm country wishes all!!

YEA!! We did it!!

2008-03-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

This morning was the 5k I had been talking about . I didn't get to bed til 2 am (I've said it before and I'll say it again, gotta love the food service industry) but I had made a promise and darn it I was going to keep it! I set my loudest alarm clock and off to bed I went. I have to say 7:30 came very early for me this morning. I crawled out of bed, got myself ready, and was out the door by 8:00. I had to get there early because I had to register for the race yet. I got there and got signed in and started keeping an eye out for my friends who were on their way. After we met up and everyone got signed in, it was just a matter of waiting for the start of our race. Both my friends were nervous as well as excited because it was their first race. I was the 'veteran' because I've run several races (from 2 miles to the marathon distance) and I was excited to get to run with them. They were worried that they would hold me back, but I was there to have fun and run with my friends so I told them I wasn't worried about that. Its so much fun to run with people running their first race :cD After an awesome rendition of the Star Spangled Banner we were on our way. It went surprisingly fast! We got through the first mile quite easily, then in the second it got a bit tougher, but we kept chugging along. The third mile was the roughest, quite a bit was uphill. We all stayed together and kept each other going. Just when we thought the uphill would never end we finally got to the downhill part and the end was in sight. We finished in 32:28, not too shabby! My friends did awesome, I am so proud of them!! After that we headed to the food tables (the biggest reason I run ;D ) and loaded up before I had to head on my way. Soooo much fun! I don't know why I don't sign up for more, but I do know we've all decided that we are definitely running another race together in July if not sooner :cD The picture above is the race shirt that was in the goodie bag along with a water bottle from one of the sponsors and 2 tickets to an Akron Aeros game (local minor league baseball team) I'm looking forward to taking the kids to a game. It will be the first sporting event they've attended. Should be cool. I forgot to take my camera to the race, but one of my friends remembered hers so if she forwards me a copy of the picture of us I'll be sure to share.

Also wanted to share a picture of one of the things that is a definite sign spring is on the way. The other day I heard a familiar 'hooooee-hoooo' outside on our porch. It was a pair of mourning doves. For what ever reason we have had a mating pair build a nest on one of the pillars of our porch for the last several years. Now I haven't seen them since I snapped this picture, hopefully I didn't scare them away with my picture taking. I don't think I did though because I have heard them since. Guess we'll just wait and see :cD

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day. Hope to get some quilty fun in, hope you do too!! Warm country wishes.

Playing catch-up

2008-03-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Boy I can't believe its been almost a week since my last post. Unfortunately, I can't say I've been accomplishing much. I've been dealing with a lot of pain and fatigue issues lately, really slows down the creative process let me tell ya. :( I have been trying to get done what I can when I can. I barely touched my machine last week so this week I am trying to catch up a bit with my swaps and getting some projects done. I have been able to get some quilting done on Jessica's quilt, and I got the two baby quilts basted. Also been working on the Cathedral windows quilt. I don't know how big I'm going to make it yet. Honestly I am just going to buy the foundation fabric as I can afford and when I can't find anymore I'll call it big enough. OK that may not be entirely true if I keep buying as long as I can find it those windows could cover the whole world *lol* so I will stop before that :cD One fun thing... two of the swaps I'm involved in are 'no-sew' so I've gotten two fun packages in the mail lately. The first one was to welcome spring, look at all the fun goodies that came my way!

I would love to share what is in the second, but honestly, I don't even know yet. It is for one of my on-line group's anniversary and they are having an on-line party when we will open them. Yes, I'm being a good girl and I haven't opened mine. (I almost typed "touched" there, but yes I've touched it, and shaken it, and sniffed it, I am a curious soul after all ;) ) I can share one thing I put in the package for my swap mate. Hope she likes it.

Spring break has been nice although not to 'springy' its actually still kind of chilly, but we were able to get out to a playground today. DS will be going to work with City tomorrow so DD and I are going to have a girls day out. It's also my day off so it will be nice to spend time just us girls and not have the pressure of trying to fit everything in before we have to pick up DS from school or go into work. Not sure what all we'll do. I'm thinking maybe lunch out, some window shopping maybe a stop by Jo-Anns to pick up some fabric and a craft we can do together, and a stop by the park. I'm sure we'll enjoy our 'girl's day out' no matter what we end up doing :cD

Well, I'm off to play a little more 'catch up' warm country wishes!!

flying by the seat of my pants

2008-03-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday everyone. I don't have to work today, so I really should be making progress on one of those UFOs on the left there, but, well...... the urge just overtook me and I hand to go to the second-hand store and pick up stuff to make this:

I just love that scarf/tie/thing! Love the colors, love the pattern, I just couldn't leave it at the store. Then on a trip to the dollar store I found some beads that go with it perfectly so I'm going to do something with them too. I had gotten the pattern from a swap and have wanted to try to make one so today was the day. Now as to the 'flying by the seat of my pants' thing. I have always been a creative soul and when I start something I just go to it. So I wanted to make one of these bags, but I wanted it lined. There was no instructions on lining it (that I could find, anyway, I just glanced at the directions and away I went) so I just winged it. No pattern, no measuring, just an idea some fabric and a pair of scissors. After some cutting and sewing and a bit of hand sewing here is what I have....

Its lined and has 4 pockets to the inside, but its not quite done yet. I am also trying to figure out a way to add a closure to it. Zipper? Velcro? Snaps? Still thinking about that one. But now I definitely have a bag big enough to hold some stuff, and I love all those outside pockets for holding stuff too.

I wanted to let everyone know about Phyl's giveaway. She is celebrating her 200th post by giving away one of her handbags. She does such great work! Actually, seeing hers is what made me want to give one a try :cD Please go on over and visit her at Scrappy n Happy in Ohio. Just click on the ladybug on the left to get to her blog.

Well the mouselings are home for spring break. Its kind of weird for Easter to come so early. It should be a fun week. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can get out to the park and such. I'm off for now to try to get some work in on something quilty warm country wishes!!!

Happy happy Monday

2008-03-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

What a great start to the week. Its a bit chilly, but the sun is shining, the snow is almost gone (well, except for the monster sized piles that will linger for at least another week or so in the shopping center parting lots) and its a day off for me. Yippee!!

I spent some time cleaning out my sewing area yesterday, and found a few more UFOs to add to my list on the left there. I never cease to be amazed at what I find when I clean out closets and such. I know when I put stuff away I think to myself "This will be a great place to store this. I know I'll remember I put this here." Then, almost without fail, I forget what I put where. It's almost like getting presents when I find them. Although to be honest some of the 'presents' I find this way are kind of like that awful pair of socks someone gets for you. I look at them and think "Was I out of my mind or what?" lol Aaaahhh well, its all a learning process. I tend to be pretty fearless when I work on a project. Just picking out fabrics I like that I think will work together. Choosing patterns and designing as I go along. Sometimes they turn out well, other times...well.......:cS Its OK though, its all fun so its all good.

Today is my day to devote solely to UFOs so I am quilting away on Jessica's quilt. Also hope to get some work in on a few others. Also gonna try to get out and get a run in today. I really haven't been running like I would like to be, but there is a group from work wanting to do a 5k in a couple weeks and I told them I would love to be part of the group. So I better start getting my rear out the door to go run :cD

We'll probably spend the evening in, but to all of those who will be going out for St. Patrick's Day, hope you have a wonderful evening. Have fun, be safe.

Warm county wishes!!

Well, I finally bit the bullet

2008-03-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Happy National Quilting Day!! Unfortunately I didn't get to sew as much as I wanted to. I would have loved to have stitched the day away, but City wanted to go looking for cars so that took up part of the day. I can only complain so much though because the car is actually going to be for me :cD and I definitely want to be involved in the process! Not exactly sure when we will actually purchase the car, but it is on the agenda for sure, and that's pretty exciting. I did get to work on my newest project a little bit though, and I am hoping to get more done here yet tonight after the mouselings are in bed. There are times I'm glad that I am quite the night-owl ;)

So, about that Cathedral Windows quilt...... I have always wanted a completely hand made quilt. No machine stitching at all. Zip, zero, zilch. Well although I know it isn't technically a "quilt" I've decided I'm going to do my Cathedral Windows quilt entirely by hand. Why? Well, I started stitching one using the tutorial from Hyena in Petticoats (the picture above) where she machine stitches the base squares together, but after trying to do the stitching of the window part the way she did, it just wasn't working for me. So I looked up a more traditional style of doing the windows and decided to just blind stitch them down. The instructions I found said to hand tack the center of each square to make stitching the windows easier. Which it was, but then when I was going to join the rows together, I came to realize I would have to take those tack stitches out, then re-tack. I started thinking 'wow, that seems like a lot of unnecessary sewing to get the look that I want' and started looking at the more traditional directions and decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and do it all by hand. I know it will take longer, but I do so love hand sewing, and I know I will feel so accomplished in the end so I started over and the picture below is where I stand right now with my second attempt. I will still do something with the first attempt, I'm just not sure what that will be. DD really likes it so maybe I will make it into a doll quilt for one of her babies :)

Everything went well at the speech meet. It was quite a big day for DS. I was so worried that he might get nervous and not be able to recite his verse, but when it came time he got right up and in a nice loud voice recited Psalm 1. I was so proud! I don't know if I could have recited it as well as he did. He ended up receiving a red ribbon for his performance. One very cool thing about was that all the kids that participated got a ribbon based on their performance. Blue for superior, red for excellent, white for good. So no one was left out. Very very cool :cD

Finally I am happy to report that most of that big snowfall has melted away, but not before we got out and had a little fun. We don't get out and play in the snow nearly as much as I would like to, but two days after all that fell it warmed up a bit and it became perfect snow for building snowmen, or snow bunnies. And although we had lots of fun, I'll be more than happy if we don't see another snow fall til next winter :cD

Warm country wishes!!

I've been a bad girl

2008-03-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I said I wasn't going to start any new projects, but I just couldn't help myself! After seeing Jacquie's Cathedral windows I just had to start one. It is just in the beginning stages so I don't have any pictures just yet. I also wanted to have a hand stitching project to work on tomorrow. DS is going to be competing in a speech meet, and I know I'll have some extra time. We are all excited that he was chosen to go. He will be reciting Psalm 1, and I know that somewhere between the opening ceremony, his speech, and the awards ceremony there will be some free time. His teacher said there will be movies for the kids to watch during 'down time' and now I'll have something to do too. I'll make sure to let you know how it all goes :cD

There is also a silent auction fund raiser at the school that City used to teach at tomorrow. I've donated this quilt to help out. Hopefully it will help to raise some good money.

Now I have to admit this isn't a particularly special quilt. It is made from blocks from 3 different swaps I participated in in the past. I just stitched them together so I could turn some of those blocks from swapping into a quilt, machine quilted it and there it was. And I know I could never possibly use all the quilts I make so I know I will gift out or donate a fair number of them. But there is always a bittersweetness to seeing a quilt leave. I can't tell you quite why. Maybe because of all the work that goes into making them. I know how much effort I put into creating each one. Then for me I guess there is this little worry that someone won't like it or that it will end up being used for pet bedding (which isn't bad if that is the quilt's intended purpose, I've seen dog and cat quilts, but they are specifically made for the animals) or for covering something in the garage, or just plain unappreciated after all that work went into it. Maybe that sounds silly. Maybe its just me, I don't know. At least at an event like this people will be bidding on it so the one that gets it will really want it, so that makes me feel better. City found out who bought the one last year, and he told me that she was thrilled to be the winning bidder. The woman who won it had always wanted to take up quilting, and had tried on occasion, but never completed one. So she was really happy to have one in her home. That made me feel really good. I'll be interested to hear how it all goes. Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow night so I can't be there to watch the bidding. I'm sure I'll get a full report from City, though, so I will let you all know how that goes too.

I am soooo totally looking forward to Saturday. Not only is it my day off, but it is National Quiting Day, so I will be doing lots of sewing (or at least trying to! lol). One of my groups is having an on-line party so that should be lots of fun. Hopefully everyone can spend at least a little time having some quilty fun that day.

I'm off to turn in early tonight. Well, early for me anyway. Got a big day tomorrow! Warm country wishes :cD

P.S. Don't forget to stop by Old Red Barn Co. for the quilt giveaway celebrating Dana's 200th post. She has pictures of the quilt and it is gorgeous. Good luck to everyone!!!

Time for some fun

2008-03-12T08:53:00.001-07:00

While I was surfing around blogland I came upon Ellen's blog and decided to take part in the Pay it Forward Exchange.

"It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on.
So here’s how it works:I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. Since this should be fun let's give a reasonable amount of time for the handmade item to be made and then sent to the recipients - how about 2 months? I will email each person for their mailing addresses and send a handmade gift and maybe some extra goodies.
What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog to 3 different people. Unfortunately this is only possible for those of who have a blog. So come on.....and see who wants to pay it forward. :)"

I think I've finally got my ducks in a row and should able to get the goodies completed in 2 months, but just in case I do want to put the disclaimer on here that it may take a little longer, but I promise the first three who sign up will receive a goodie in their mailbox :cD

Soooooo.....who wants to 'pay it forward'? :cD

Lots to share

2008-03-10T06:32:00.001-07:00

What a weekend. I think the official snowfall was about 15 inches. It was hard to tell because of all the blowing and drifting, but it was a heck of a lot of snow to be sure!! We stayed busy inside

and I was able to get the April showers quilt done. Wooohoooo finish number four of the year! Now that it's done it will eventually make its way to my mom and dad's to be used on the guest bed that my daughter uses when we go to visit. Now I have to get moving on a quilt for the bed my son uses ;cD I was also able to get the top finished for B's baby quilt. I feel like I've been walking around in a fog for a while with all I've had on my plate. I'm sure you all know the feeling, the 'spinning your wheels and feeling like you're getting nowhere' feeling? So to finally see a couple things getting done has made me feel so much better.

Also spent time looking around blog land and found some cool stuff going on. Thanks to Jacquie's blog I found out about a quilt give away at Old Red Barn Co. She is giving away a quilt and it is gorgeous, so go on over and check it out!! (Tell her Country Mouse sent ya ;D ) I also found a contest over at Blueberry Lane Designs. She is asking people to show pictures of their most used pincushion, then they will be doing a drawing for a book of pincushion patterns. Now, I have to admit I am really hoping to win that one because I am a pincushion junkie. Here is a picture of my 2 most used. They are both ones I've made. The one on the left is made from an old (well washed) tuna can, and the one on the right I made out of a tiny basket I found at the dollar store. The second picture is of my growing pincushion collection. I think my favorite so far is the rocking chair. I found it at a second hand store and almost passed it up. Looking back I can't believe I almost left it there. Its got places for pins, of course, as well as spools of thread, my thimble, and a place to put my scissors on the back. And I got it for, get this, 40 cents!!!

One more giveaway to let you know about over at Sew Me Something Good. She is celebrating the arrival of spring, and all you have to do is post and let her know what your favorite thing about spring is. She is collecting entries up until noon on Friday so make sure you go visit soon. So much going on, and so much fun!! I'm off to sew and surf (and do the other stuff I do on Mondays) and generally enjoy the day off. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Warm country wishes!!

Blizzard = quilting weather

2008-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Need a reason to stay inside and quilt?

And its still coming down!!! I'm planning on staying in, making some slow cooker chicken and dumplings, getting a run in on the treadmill, and sewing the day away :cD

Do you believe some things are ment to be?

2008-03-07T07:44:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of Amy's quilt, well one side at least. Its quite big and I am having a really tough time fitting it all in one picture. I will make sure to get a picture of the whole top before I give it back to her. The story behind the quilt.....Amy is a co-worker of mine. She came to me one day and asked me if I would be willing to finish a quilt she started when her daughter was just a baby (I believe her daughter is a teenager now). "Sure" I said. So she brought me the quilt she had started, the center you see here, and told me that I had creative freedom to do whatever I wanted to to finish it. Her only request was that it was a certain size. So after seeing the top I started thinking of ideas. I was going to do a leaf and vine applique down the sides, but was a little hesitant because I wasn't sure if her DH would like it. I was also afraid it would take attention off the center, and I want to keep it there because that is HER work and it will be her quilt in the end. Then I started to see the disappearing 9-patch all over the internet and thought "Maybe those would be nice", so a-sewing I went. I still had ideas of adding applique but decided not to after all. So I put the inner border on, didn't measure; I sewed the disappearing 9-patches together, didn't measure. "uh-oh" I started thinking. Well, I layed it out and guess what? The disappearing 9-patches fit perfectly!! That gets to the some things just meant to be thing. I couldn't believe it. Needless to say I was very happy and relieved that everything fit. Now I have borders on the right and left hand side and I am debating on adding something to the top and bottom. Maybe some simple squares sewn together. I guess I just don't want to take away from the center too much. I know she put a lot of work into it and I want people to focus on it first.

Also wanted to update you on the ugly fat quarter challenge. The votes are in and I received the award in the category of 'funniest'. There were 8 entries total and there were some great quilts so I am thrilled to have been one of the entries that won. In non-quilty awards news I also received employee of the month for the month of February at the restaurant that I work at. I've been with the company for almost 8 1/2 years and this is the 5th time I've received the award, but I am still excited to get it. I really do enjoy my job, and appreciate the recognition. Makes me feel good :cD

I can't believe its another Friday already!! I have tomorrow off so I am hoping to be able to get the binding finished on the April Showers quilt. They are calling for quite a bit of snow over the weekend (I am watching it start to cover the ground now) so its perfect quilting weather. I'm off to get to the post office and Jo-Anns before it gets too bad around here. Hope you all find time to pursue your passion this weekend! Warm country wishes!!

Where to start, where to start?

2008-03-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Wow its been a busy couple of days. Let me start off with a couple pictures of my neck of the woods. We recently experienced an ice storm here. Despite all the troubles it caused, I think it made everything just beautiful. Maybe I'm just weird, but I loved to just look at the trees for the last couple of days :cD All the beauty made me want to get my camera out. Also got my mind rambling on non quilty things, and since I love to talk, be it verbally or via a key board, I decided to start a second blog where I will be posting pictures and my thoughts on things. You can visit my other blog here.

On to quilty news. I had some great surprises early this week. First is I won a manic monday giveaway from the Quilting Pirate, then I was accepted by the other blog ring I applied to. I also put a neo-counter on my blog so I can get an idea where my visitors are from. It is sooo cool to see all the different places, especially the different countries!! I have been able to get some sewing done too. I am totally excited to report that the hand quilting on the April Showers quilt is done, and the binding is on. Now I just have to hand stitch it to the back. Also been working on swaps. I am hostessing one in one of my groups where we are swapping Ohio Stars so we can make the Random Ohio Stars quilt on the Quiltville web site. I have 4 done, have to get 4 more done for the swap. I am trying to use up some of my scraps so not all the sets will be the same for everyone.

I have also been hand tying the Tennessee quilt and hope to get that finished tonight and the binding on it too. I am working on Amy's quilt today. I have one border done, and the second almost there. I finally feel like I am making some progress on things. I have set the goal for myself that I will get at least 2 more UFOs (beyond the April Showers quilt and Tennessee quilt) before I even attempt to start something new. Don't know if it will happen, but heck, I'm gonna try :cD I also got to visit my favorite LQS today. I love it there. There is something special about going into a shop where the owner welcomes you by name when you walk in the door. Picked up some pretty fat quarters for a swap to celebrate one of my on-line groups anniversary. Busy, busy, busy. And now I'm off to continue the trend ;D I don't have to work today so I am going to continue to work away on those lovely piles of fabric that are longing to be finished quilts. Warm country wishes!!

TGIF??? TGIM!!!!

2008-03-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

Oh I am so glad its Monday!! Had to work all weekend, and although it wasn't really all that bad (I had great crews to work with all weekend) it was very tiring! I have the day off today, so I am spending some serious time with my sewing machine. Well, after I get everything else in order anyway. I'm also going to try to get outside. After all that cold and snow we actually have some sunshine and (slightly) warmer weather. The snow is starting to melt a bit, and there was a nice warmth to the air when I drove the mouselings to school this morning. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a trend, but I refuse to check the weather forecast! I'm going to enjoy today!!

Also wanted to share the picture of the ugly fat quarter challenge project I came up with. The pictures of the projects are being posted on the group that had the challenge today, so I finally feel comfortable posting it here. It is my own design. I call it Crazy happy scrappy kitties. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. You can see the 'ugly' fabric in all the crazy patch blocks, as well as the ball in the bottom border, the butterfly nearest the kitty in the top border as well as the mouse in the bottom kitty's mouth. I had a ton of fun designing the kitty appliques, and finding a way to use the fabric we were sent. I can hardly wait to see what everyone else came up with. There will be voting for prizes in the group that had the challenge, so I will let you know how that goes. I still have a little left that I think I will incorporate into the string quilt I'm working on. They are also talking about a ugly challenge #2, so I'm going to get out the trusty graph paper, and start sketching some rough ideas, but have no real idea of what I'll do till the fabric shows up. Never hurts to start preparing though. Besides, I love the design process. I love to sketch and doodle and color. Sometimes I wish I would have pursued art as a career, took four years of it in high school and loved every minute of it!! Guess I could always go back to school sometime, right? :cD Well, I'm off to get some more done. Hope everyone has a great day!!

The weekend is here, and I'm ready for some color

2008-02-29T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know what the weather is like were you are at, but here in Ohio it continues to be cold and kinda yucky. Woke up this morning to watch another half inch of snow come down, but I have to admit it was rather pretty. It was those big fluffy flakes that are just beautiful to watch fall from the sky. Been feeling better since the last post, I think I was just having one of 'those' days. This is the bird feeder outside our house. Yes I know I need to refill it. But it also got me thinking about the birds coming back. I love to hear them sing. I can hardly wait til they return. Everyone around here is excited that the weekend is here, time to relax a bit and gear up for the next week. Unfortunately I have to work all weekend :( but I'm going to try to make the best of the time I have. At least I'm off Monday :) I am excited to report that I took the plunge and applied to join a couple quiting blog rings. I was thrilled to be accepted to the Scrap Happy Bloggers ring. Yippee! I'm still waiting to see if I get accepted into the other.

I had the day off work yesterday so I got out some projects to brighten things up a bit around here. The first one is one that has been in progress for, well, lets just say quite a while. It is called April Showers, and was from one of the swaps I joined a long time ago. I am hand quilting it, and with my hands I can't always get as much done as I would like in one sitting. So I just keep working away on it when I can. I only have the top border to quilt then I can put the binding on it. I don't know what I'm going to use just yet. I really wish I had more of the blue, but I only have enough to bind maybe half of it .

The picture on the right is a close up of my quilting. I LOVE hand quilting and wish I could do more. Unfortunately, my carpal tunnel won't let me. *sniff* :(

This last picture is a round robin that I was involved in a couple years ago. I am thinking about just using muslin on the back and machine quilting it then using it as a porch quilt. We have a swing on our front porch, but it needs some softness to it. I don't think I would ever leave it outside all the time, but it would be there if someone wanted to make things a bit more 'cushy' or needed a light cover for a cool evening. Both are a nice burst of color to see right now, we need it :)

Still deciding on the layout for the log cabin, but I have decided on borders. I work with mom to be tonight, and gave her my blog address so hopefully she has seen the layouts and I can get feedback from her too. Also did a couple more disappearing 9 patches, and made another journal cover (they are quite addictive). Felt good to make some progress! Well, I am off to get the house ready for the weekend. I always try to get things cleaned up so we can enjoy the weekend, not do chores. Hope everyone finds some time to do what makes them happy :cD Warm country wishes!

please, please, pretty please....

2008-02-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

Can it be spring yet? Usually I don't mind winter. I like the snow. I can even put up with the cold...actually I can put up with it far better than the heat of summer. Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you I would rather have it be 25 degrees than 95 degrees any day. But there must be something with all the gray skies and white on the ground that is finally getting to me. It just keeps snowing and freezing. Not necessarily the pretty kind of snowing and freezing either! It's just been making me feel 'down' the last day or two. I just don't feel like I am getting anything done. I know I am, but it sure doesn't feel that way. Its kind of frustrating. I know we all go through these rough patches so I am trying to keep my chin up. I know it won't last forever. Besides if you don't have the 'down' times, when do you know you're having an 'up' time, right? I am just ready for a burst of color already. That first warm wind, that first morning where we are waking up to notice the sounds of the birds chirping. I can't wait to see the crocuses and daffodils poking their pretty heads up through the soil. Aaahhh....just thinking about it is making me feel a little better. Maybe I should go dig out my spring themed round robin quilt from a while back out and work on it for a while :cD

Well if you were kind enough to listen to me whine just a little (bless your hearts) you should be rewarded with some pictures. These are pictures of a quilt I am making for a co-worker who is expecting her second little one. I am trying to decide which layout I like better.

I'm leaning toward the asymmetrical design on top. I've also got to decide on borders, if I put borders on it. Decisions, decisions :) Then I've got to get busy on some more disappearing 9-patches as well as some swaps going on in my groups. Plenty enough to keep me busy. Actually I think when I finish up the last couple block swaps I'm in that will be it for a while. I keep trying to knock my UFO's down, but then end up joining swaps that add to it. There are just soooo many quilts I would like to make. What can ya do? Keep sewing away :cD that's my plan, at least ;c) Hopefully I'll get to do plenty of that tomorrow. Hope you do too. Warm country wishes!

Yeah!! All is well....

2008-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

...and here's the proof. I was sooo worried that the red might bleed, but it didn't. Yippee!!

Delivered it to dad to be last night and he was really happy with it. He even asked if I might be able to make a quilt for his other little one. I told him it might be a while (I've got lots I want to get done first), but yes I could make one for her too. Don't want her to feel left out. I'm such a softie :) Up next to get finished are Amy's quilt, the second baby quilt and Jessica's quilt. After that I will see what I can get into.

Been a really slow start to the day here, but I'm on my way upstairs to get some cleaning done so I'll be able to spend some quality time sewing later tonight. Happy sewing all!!

Another one bites the dust!

2008-02-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hi all, its kind of late here, but I am so excited that I just had to post that the puppy quilt is DONE!! Woohooo that's finish number three this year!! It is in the washer right now, so I don't have a picture of it just yet, but I will make sure to get one before I deliver it to dad-to-be at work tomorrow. Now I'll be even more excited when it comes out of the washer and it is ok. Why? Well, I tend to not pre-wash very often and I didn't pre-wash the fabrics for this one. Sooooo....I am hoping it comes out the way it went in. I should know better, and wash my fabrics before I use them. I do it when I participate in a swap with any of my groups. And I know it reduces a lot of anxiety when you know none of your fabrics are going to bleed. But, I also know that I like the more puckered look of older, well loved (used) quilts and I know you can achieve that look by not pre-washing. So here I sit typing and worrying (just a little) waiting for the quilt to finish the wash cycle. think positive, think positive, think positive :cD I've thought about buying those 'color catchers' at the grocery store. Does anyone know how well they work? I would love to get some feedback on them before I buy them.

Been a very productive day here. City let me sleep in and took the kids out this morning, which was very nice considering I didn't get done at work until 2am yesterday. Gotta love the restaurant industry! I was able to enjoy my coffee and get lots of work done. I got to work on my string quilt, finish the puppy quilt, got Jess's quilt basted (boy that was a chore! The backing may end up a little short, but as of right now it looks like I'll be ok.), and started the baby quilt for the next co-worker that is due. She is having a little boy, so I dug through my stash and found a stack of homespun fat quarters I had received as a gift a while back. They were lighter shades of mostly golds and greens with just a hint of red, so I found a couple other homespuns in darker blue shades to make it look a little more 'boy'. It is going to be a traditional log cabin. I really like how it is coming along so far. After City and the mouselings got home we just enjoyed some family time. So nice! Seems like Saturday is the only day we can really count on that time, so we try to enjoy it as much as we can.

I do have a question I was wondering if someone could give me some info on. I know there are quilting blog rings out there. I would love to join one, and I found one that is for quilters that love to make/admire scrap quilts. I was wondering if there is any 'joining etiquette' if you will. I guess I just feel a little weird up and joining something when I am so new. Should I e-mail the owner, do I need to let her know, do I need to be blogging for a certain amount of time? I know that I probably sound pretty silly, but I just want to make sure I do things right.

Well, the washer just got done so I am off to put the quilt in the dryer, everyone cross your fingers that the puppy quilt comes out the way it went in :cD Warm country wishes!!

A new question for you....

2008-02-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

I've been working away here and had a new question keep popping into my head. What keeps me from turning all these finished tops into quilts? Its not that I don't enjoy the quilting process. I love to hand quilt although I don't do it as much as I would like due to having carpal tunnel syndrome. And I've come to really appreciate machine quilting. I remember when I first took up quilting I though machine quilting was kind of like 'cheating', but now I know better!! It takes just as much talent and practice to produce a beautifully machine quilted quilt as it does a hand quilted one. I've gotten much better at machine quilting, but still have a way to go to rival the beautiful work of some of the talented machine quilters out there. Its not really the basting process either. Now basting is definetly not my favorite part of the process, but I'm getting better at that too. I just wish I had more room to do it. Honestly (and this is probably going to sound really weird) I think what keeps me from getting them done is just the buying of the backing fabric and batting. I know that sounds funny, but really I think that is what it is. For whatever reason I have very little problem buying fabric that I 'may use someday' on the front of a quilt, but I feel like I'm spending too much when I buy the fabric for the backing. Weird, huh? Maybe I have a 'quilter's nutritional deficency'? Maybe I should have a chocolate bar and see if that helps *giggle* ;cD

Like I've said, I've been sewing away and have some pictures to share. The first is the center of my scrapy bargello. I am really surprised how so many different fabrics have come together to make such a nice top. There are some real odd and not-so-pretty fabrics in the mix, but it all works together. Now I have to figure out what kind of borders to put on it. I have also gotten my ugly fat quarter challenge quilt all done and a picture e-mailed to the hostess of the challenge. Now I can't share a picture of the whole top just yet, but here is a little peek (and a good look at the 'ugly' fabric, its the blue print) I promise to share a full picture as soon as I can.

I've also been slowly starting to get things ready to move my sewing area around and came up with a place for a design wall. I will admit it is a bit small, but its a start. My sewing area is in one of the mouselings rooms so I am trying to find ways to have a nice area without taking up too much space or being too obtrusive. So I decided to tack a peice of flannel up on the back of the door to their room. If I want to use it I just have to shut the door, and when its open (which it is most of the time anyway) they will never know its there. Right now I have the tumblers I have cut for a futrue charm quilt on it.

One last photo to share. You may know I've also taken up jewelry making , like I need another hobby lol, and wanted to share a picture of my latest creation. I've actually made a few of these because I've had people at work offer to buy the one I have worn in to work. I just think they're fun little necklaces :cD

Well thats about all the excitement around here right now. We are just busy with the other regular day to day activites and trying to keep warm. ( I think we are averaging under 20 degrees around here right now) The continued cold is the perfect reason to quilt, which is what I am off to do right now :cD Warm country wishes everyone!

I've been tagged!!

2008-02-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

How fun! My friend Babs over at Scattered Scraps and Snippets has tagged me.
THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

OK, so here we go, 7 random facts.....

1. I am the oldest of 4 siblings. I have one younger sister and 2 younger brothers.

2. I have never flown on an airplane.

3. My dream job would be to do voice work. You know, like providing the voices for animated movies or doing narration for films. Especially doing character voices, I think that would be a blast!!!!

4. I am a breakfast food junkie. Cereal, oatmeal, bagles, pancakes, you name it. I could live on breakfast foods for the rest of my life and never miss lunch or dinner :cD

5. I am the family athlete. In my younger days I played softball, volleyball, basketball, ran track and field (ok I threw the shot put and discus, but I did place in the state meet in the shot put), and was a nationally ranked powerlifter in the ADFPA when I was 19. Right now I love to run altough I don't get out to do it as much as I would like to. I have run 5 marathons, 5 half marathons and several smaller distance races. I am hoping to run at least a half if not a full marathon in the fall of this year.

6. I still love to watch cartoons. Guess I'm still a kid at heart.

7. I collect thimbles. I started collecting them before I ever even touched a sewing machine. I have well over 100 from a lot of different places. I look for them everywhere we travel, and have lots I wouldn't necessarily have been able to get thanks to my on-line friends and family that travles more than me.

Well, there you go. Some random facts about Country Mouse. Now to tag some others. I'm relatively new to the blogging thing so I don't know that I know 7 people to tag, but I'll tag Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studio, Laurie at . , ( I have them linked on the left) and anyone else who wants to play can consider themselves tagged by me :cD

Hope everyone had a nice Valentine's day. We don't go all out here, but we had a nice evening together. I got to help out with the Valentines party for my son. Lots of fun, brought back fond memories of Valentines parties when I was young. It was always such fun to pass out your valentines to your friends, then even more fun to see all the goodies that were waiting for you in your Valentines box. Ahhhh, memories :) I got a lovely card, flowers and candy from City. So sweet. I got him a card, some candy, and the most recent release of his favorite TV show on DVD. I think he was happy ;) Then we all had dinner together and enjoyed the evening. All in all a very nice day!

Here it is Friday already! I've been able to get more done on my scrappy bargello. Both mouslings were is school this morning, so I was able to blissfully sew away for about 2 hours this morning. I now have all the strips cut and 2 more pannels ready to sew. I've also got my ugly challenge top nearly done, and the binding 1/2 way done on the puppy quilt. I am debating on taking a day trip tomorrow. I've had my fair share of stress here the last week or so, so I may try to get away to Amish country for a bit tomorrow. I'm just gonna see how things go tomorrow. I'm off to sew a bit more, hope everyone else finds some quality quilty time too! Warm country wishes!!

of snow days, dissapearing 9-patches and Amy's quilt

2008-02-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, for once the snow did really come. And its still coming down! Actually, now we are waiting for the freezing rain that is supposed to come and wallop us. So we had another snow day here. At least right now it is really pretty. Soft white fluffy flakes gently falling out of the sky, and I have to admit that I really do like it when there is a fresh, unblemished blanket of white covering our yard :cD We've been having fun watching videos and doing things around the house and I have gotten a decent ammount of sewing done too. First I got one of my swaps out of the way then I got out Amy's quilt.

Its been a bit of a challenge so far. The center that you see was done by Amy back in the 80's. She brought it to me and asked me if I could bring it up to queen size and finish it off for her. I have really tried to square it up (I think I did ok) and I added the dark flower border to it today. It was hard for me to part with that fabric....I just love it.....but I think it was the right choice. Now it IS long enough, I just need to widen it up a bit so I have some applique work for it, and started making some dissapearing 9-patches to add to that outside. She said she is perfectly fine with me using up my scraps to finish this up, so I hope she'll be happy with the finished product. I am really trying to get this top done and basted before the end of the month. Also been organizing my sewing area, well trying at least. So we've been busy :cD

Well I'm off to get a few more things done before I have to go into work. Boy I wish we grown-ups could have snow days from work! lol Oh well, at least I had time to get some fun in today. Hope everyone else did too. Warm country wishes!!

Someone do the happy dance with me :cD

2008-02-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

I have to say I have had quite a good weekend. It started when I received a wonderful package in the mail on Saturday. One of my groups did a game and I was lucky enough to win a great package of winter themed and colored goodies. I love getting packages like this one...soooo much better than the neverending stream of bills that the mailman seems to deliver :c) Then I was able to get outside Saturday before the cold came and settled in and get in a 6 mile run. It felt soooo good to get a nice long run in. Then I was able to find some sewing time and was able to get this done.....

Yup, here it is! The first finish of 2008!! (can you tell I'm excited :cD ) Just finished hand stitching down the binding today. The mouselings had a snow day, so I wasn't really sure if I would get it done, but it has been bitter cold outside all day. I think we may have reached a 'high' of 16 degrees today, so it was a great day to stay inside as much as possibe and sew when I could. It's supposed to stay pretty cold here and snow tonight so I may have another good excuse to stay inside and quilt tomorrow too ;) Just gonna wait and see. Well, I'm off to cruise around blog land a little bit and have a celebratory cup of hot cocoa. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Warm country wishes!

OK, just one more (kinda) random thought for the day

2008-02-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I just got done cutting a bunch of squares for Amy's quilt and strips for the other half of the scrappy bargello when I had a thought cross my mind. How do you feel when you use up the last of a fabric in your stash? I was thinking about it because there are several fabrics where the last peices of it will go into these 2 quilts. Me? Well it may sound weird, but its kinda bittersweet. Yes, I am really happy that I've used up something, and I know it will be used and that fabric will be seen. But on the other hand I usually pick up a fabric for a specific project or because it really called to me, and I've formed a silly little sentimental attatchment that makes it hard to see it go. Does anyone else feel this way? Strange, maybe. Something City wouldn't understand, definetly! This is when I'm happy that I have fellow quilters I can share a random thought with. Well, that's my silly little thought for now. I'm off to get some rest. Happy quilting all!!

Working toward those goals (or at least trying!)

2008-02-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

I really wish I had some quilty pictures to share, but unfortunately I don't. :( But, I found this picture on one of my groups and it perfectly describes how I've felt the last couple of days. (Actually that was me this morning. After City took the kids to school I crashed and slpet for an extra 3 hours!) Things where I work have been a bit hectic so I've ended up picking up extra hours. Between that, and all the stuff I need to get done here between the kids and housework, errands and other stuff, I've been happy to squeeze in sewing and running time where I can. Now I am glad to report that I have completed the quilting on the BOM and the quilting is done and binding is attatched to the doggie quilt. Now to hand stitch it down. I have made some progress on my swaps. And the only fabric I've bought so far this month was a great neutral that was calling out to me from the remnant bin. I haven't made any progress on Amy's quilt yet, but I am going to go cut some squares to do some dissapearing 9-patches for the very outside edges here yet tonight as well as some leaves for some applique work I am doing for it. So, honestly, I'm a pretty happy quilter. Also been able to squeeze in 3 runs so far this week (only missed my Monday one) and am gonna try to get in a nice run outside this weekend if the weather cooperates.

February is Quilting Month and they are celebrating over at Sew Mama Sew. I'm putting link to them over on the left here. They are sharing blocks, techniques, quilts and other fun stuff. I just have to mention an entry on sharing quilting history. You'll have to go check it out if you haven't. It is excellent!! Made me want to reasearch more not only for my own knowledge, but also to make sure I share with the mouselings, who also love to help me make quilts as well as create their own 'quilts' by laying out fabric scraps on the floor. I think they enjoy playing with the fabric as much as I do.

Well, I'm off to have some quilty fun. Hopefully I'll have some quilty pics for you next time. Hope you all find time for your quilting passion too. Warm country wishes :cD

I love it when....

2008-02-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

Things go the way you've hoped! I was right about getting out of work early, so I was able to run by Jo-Anns and get some quilting thread and heart toggles, and a snowman pillow that was marked down 90% for one of my little ones. Then after a quick trip to the store for a couple things and a stop by the pizza shop I was able to get some sewing done while the rest of the family watched the Super Bowl. Yippee!!

Now I wish I was able to get accomplished what Bonnie did over at Quiltville, you'll have to go check out her scrapy bagrgello quilt... just wonderful. But I was thrilled I was able to get as much done as I did. I was able to get one panel completly sewn and a second cut into strips ready to sew together. I think I am going to make two more panels and go ahead and put a border on it to make it throw sized. It has gone together very quickly, and I am just thrilled that I was able to cut those tubes into STRAIGHT rows of squares!! I was sooo afraid I was gonna end up with some weird wonky shape :cO I've gotten everything ready for the sewing I want to do tomorrow. Mondays are my day I devote to working on only older UFOs (although I may make an exception for the doggie quilt tomorrow, maybe only another hour of quilting on it and it will be done) So hopefully I'll have a nice progress report for tomorrow. Hope you all had a great Superbowl/Bargellowbowl Sunday!!

Cuttin' and sewin'....is there any better way to spend the day?

2008-02-02T19:40:00.001-08:00

Now really, is there any better way to spend the day? The weather here has been cold and dreary. The perfect reason to stay inside and quilt. Now I didn't get as much done as I would like to have, but I did make some progress. I only have one more outside border to get quilted on the BOM then its on to binding. Yippee! I've also got the doggie quilt about 80% of the way quilted. I'm excited to be so close to a couple finishes. The picture on the left is some of the strips I've gotten cut for the Bargellobowl tomorrow. I've only got about half of the number cut that I need, and now that I'm looking at the picture I'm gonna make sure I find some blues, purples and greens to add to the mix. I don't know how much I'll be able to get done tomorrow, but I'm looking foreward to relaxing after work by sewing the evening away.

Spent some time with the family today. Its time for us to start planning the annual family reunion so City, the mouselings and I went to dinner with two of my aunts, one of my uncles, and my parents. Went to a nice restaurant in Amish country for dinner. Such great food! Just love all that stuff made from scratch. Also just enjoyed the drive. Living in the city there are just houses and houses, tons of cars, and lots of pavement; very little green space. Sure there is some, but I just love driving through the rolling hills seeing the farms, and big open fields and lots of trees. Makes me yearn for spring when the flowers are blooming and the trees are starting to bud and the new little green leaves make their first appearance. The drives out there are just wonderful. I think I heard that the 'official' groundhog saw his shadow today, but our local groundhog didn't. Boy I'm really kinda hoping ours was right, I'm ready for a burst of color! :cD

Speaking of animals, I was going through the photos on my camera and came across this one. I was thinking of sending it to Ami Simms, I know she has a page for these types of photos. This is a sign posted at the whirlpool area of a State Parks recreation area. The people that were in the whirlpool were looking at me funny when I took the picture, but I just couldn't resist. Read rule number 5 carefully. If I were a dog or cat, I really don't think I would have an issue obeying that rule ;) I got a giggle out of it, hope you did too.

Well, I'm off to try to get a little more done. Warm country wishes!

New month New start...looking ahead

2008-01-31T13:29:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying I am a very goal oriented individual. I love to strive for things that are set in front of me be they by myself or by others. One example...where I work we have an incentive program where there are 10 pins you can earn. Your goal is to earn them all.....well, by golly I am gonna do my darndest to get them all!! (I have all but 2 by the way *grin*) And its not as if I did not accomplish anything in January, but I think everyone loves a frest start, so I look at the begining of each month as another month to start with a (relatively) clean slate. So that being said I have been thinking about what I am hoping to accomplish in the next month. As far as my quilty goals I have several.

1. Finish my block of the month -- all I have to do is quilt the outer border, bind and put a tag on it. I may add more quilting, but I'm not sure.

2. Finish the baby quilt -- I got that basted today and started quilting. I love baby quilts because they are soooo much faster to do than my usual size.

3. Finish the top of Amy's quilt -- I've had this waaaayyy longer than I intended. I need to get the top done, and get it finished so I can be back in Amy's hands!

4. Keep up with my swaps -- Don't want to end up not being able to swap for a while. Swapping one of the big reasons I joined my first internet group, I love swapping :cD

5. Finish my ugly fat quarter challenge quilt -- its wallhanging size. I'd elaborate more, but its design is to be kept secret until the voting on one of my groups. I PROMISE I will share a picture as soon as I can.

6. Continue to use up my stash, and to buy as little as possible (at least for right now).

Kind of a big list for me, but I'm gonna do my best to reach as many of these goals as I can :)

Speaking of using up your stash, what is everyone doing Superbowl Sunday? I was looking through blogs and came across this. Now I have to work this Sunday, but usually we're VERY slow businesswise so I am anticipating a short day. If it does happen, I think I may join along. I don't think I'll be making the big version. Actually I was thinking of making a throw that I will probably donate to a silent auction for the school City used to work for. And I just happen to have lots of strips already cut from organizing my stash. Now not that I need to start something new, but I love the thought of being part of a group doing something even if it is via the internet. The directions for the Scrappy Bargello are over at Quiltville. (LOVE that site!!) I can't wait to see how they turn out :cD

Now as for other goals, I am really aiming for a fall marathon, so I am going to write out the base training program to get in shape for it. So as far as that goes I am aiming for running (at least 4, but preferably) 5 days a week. And to start doing my favorite floorwork program again. I have some tapes of it, and it is still on one of the stations we get. Just gotta make myself get up and do it.

Well, I am off today so I am going to go get some quilting done, yea!! Hope everyone continues to look ahead, think positive, and to reach the goals you set for yourself. Warm country wishes!

Plans? What plans?

2008-01-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by sharing a picture of the quilt I am doing for a friend of mine. This is the one that was supposed to be basted this past weekend. Unfortunatly, it didn't get basted. As a matter of fact I didn't sew but six little blocks for my ugly fat quarter challenge. We went to mom and dad mouse's for the weekend, and I had all these ideas and plans on what I wanted to do, and, well, it didn't go quite as planned. But hey, its ok we had a great weekend anyway. We arrived on Saturday late afternoon, and made a quick trip to Jo-Anns were I picked up batting for the quilt you see, backing for the baby quilt, and some amber beads for a bracelette I wanted to make. We got home just in time for the home made lasagne to come out of the oven, and proceded to eat more than we should (a trend that would continue all weekend :cD ) After dinner the mouselings had fun playing while we visited and I did get the bracelette done.

Sunday went by way too fast. We went out for a breakfast buffet (yummy) then went over to visit a home and garden store (have to walk off some of those calories, right?) where we found some new dining room chairs which we were in serious need of. After we headed back to the house mama mouse and I went to the one quilt shop we actually made it to. Neither of us had been there before. The shop was called Always in Stitches, and it was a really nice little shop. Very friendly staff, nice selection, and on top of that they also have a jewelery making section. Talk about a store just for me!! I didn't buy any fabric, but I did end up buying some beads and findings. Also found a great little enamel charm that is a log cabin block. I'm putting it up till I can find more, different charms to make a quilting charm bracelette. Monday was mouseling #1's birthday so he pretty much decided the course of the morning. We had a good breakfast then took him shopping and had lots of fun. City and I got away for a lunch on our own, then before we knew it, it was time to head home. Time goes so fast. I'm just glad we were able to go down for the long weekend. Well, its back to the daily grind for me, hopefully I'll find some more time for quilting the rest of the week. Warm country wishes!!

Hey, what do ya know? I found some motivation!

2008-01-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little post here today. I am enjoying the first day of my mini vacation. I got out the puppy quilt and finished up the top. I'm pretty pleased with it :) hopefully mom and dad to be will be too. I am going to try to get out today to buy the backing for it so I can baste it at Mama mouse's. She's got LOTS of open floor space :cD I also finally got started on my ugly fat quarter challenge. I've got 3 blocks done, I've got 6 more to go plus the border. Well, I'm off to see what else I can get into ;cD Warm country wishes!!

Where did the week go!?!?!

2008-01-23T06:24:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness! It's Wednesday already?!? Where did my week go? I've always thought the study of how the mind perceives time would be an interesting study. I remember when I was little and in school the days seemed endless. We were in school for what seemed like forever, but even when we got home there was plenty of time to go outside and play or ride your bike. A week seemed soooo long and a year could feel like forever. Now that I'm older it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. The hours fly by. What seemed like such a long time when I was little has passed in the blink of an eye. The years 'feel' shorter. Oh how I would love to have that feeling of such long days again!! Time to fit in all that I would like to do. I guess when you're a 'grown-up' the closest you get to those kinds of days are your days off. Which, I am happy to say, I have 5 of those in a row on the horizon!! We are going to take a trip down to see Mama and Papa mouse. Mama has her own sewing room so I am hoping to take my machine and sew sew sew. She also live is a larger city where there are about 10 quilt shops so I think we may do our own little shop hop. Fun fun!! :cD I have been making time for quilting where I can, and I'm sorry I don't have some pictures to share, but I will make sure I get plenty durring my little 'vacation'. I've made progress on my BOM, I am up to 15 of 20 blocks outline quilted. I would have done more, but I ran out of quilting thread :( so I have to run to the store and get some more. I should buy a few spools, but never seem to. You would think I would learn my lesson, but..... I only have one more row of 9-patches to add to the puppy quilt and the top will be done. I need to buy flannel for the back then I am just going to do some simple quilting, then off it goes to the expecting mom and dad. I have tons of other things I need to get done, and I am thankful that I'll have time to work on them. Right now they are jumbled together in my head so I am going to make a list so I can make sure I work on all the things I need/want to. I have a quilt a co-worker of mine started a long time ago that she brought to me and asked me to bring up to queen sized (just my sized quilt, just check out my Default Setting? post ) that I NEED to work on, I have an ugly fat quarter project I need to get done before the end of next month, and I also have some swaps I need to work on, not to mention the baby quilt and BOM/other ufos I'd like to get done. Sometimes I don't think I know how to be anything but busy!! :cD Well, I'm off to get some things done, hope everyone finds some 'extra' time today, warm country wishes!!

Saturday beautiful Saturday

2008-01-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love Saturdays!! Every other week city mouse takes the mouselings for the morning and lets me have a big chunk of the day to myself. AAaaaahhhh....peace and quiet! So I slept in a little bit, got up made a big pot of coffee and just enjoyed my day. I started working on the baby quilt. It has gone sooo fast! I only have to add sashing to the left hand side and the bottom half is pretty much done! It is a Billie Lauder pattern. The person I am making it for said they would like black/white/red for the baby quilt I am making for them. I hope they like the pattern I chose. I still have to add 3 rows of 9-patches to the top and that's it. Quick quick!! (I won't mention all the frog stitching I did because I was in a hurry. I might have actually gotten it done if I had just slowed down a bit, but....oh well, water under the bridge.lol)

After I got some work in on the doggie quilt I made a quick trip to the local Jo-Anns. Picked up a few things for one of the ladies I am in a group with, batting (yeah 50% off!), and some muslin out of the remnant bin for foundation squares for my string quilt. Not too bad. I really tried to not buy too much I didn't need, and although the fat quarters were as tempting as jars full of candy (and only .99 to boot), I resisted and didn't buy any :cD I also got another small project done. I recently bought a composition book that has gridded pages in it so I can sketch out quilt designs, and, well I couldn't just leave it as is, so I made another journal cover for it.

I got a nice 4 mile run in after that. Unfortunatly I had to run on the treadmill because it is WAY too cold here right now. But I just put the radio on to my favorite station and just enjoyed being able to run without worring about what a mouseling may be getting in to. How nice!! When the family finally arrived home City had set it up for someone to watch the little ones and we got to go out to dinner, just the two of us. We just went to a little family owned restaurant, but I have to say they are usually my favorites. Such a warm, friendly atmosphere, and good food. I had a big bread bowl filled to overflowing with stuffed pepper soup. Yummy! Then we spent some quality time with the mouselings. And now here I am winding down from the day. It is so nice when a day just flows and you can just enjoy the time. No housework, no cooking, just time to relax, have fun, and enjoy being with family. Those days don't come very often, but I've learned to really enjoy them when they do, I know it may be a while til I get another. Tomorrow its back to the regular grind, but today I am oh so thankful for such a wonderful day. Here's hoping that we can all find other days like this soon, and enjoy them to the fullest!! Warm country wishes :cD

Default setting?

2008-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is in progress. I think I once heard a quilt designer say her brain's quilt size programming default was set on 'queen sized' and I tend to think my is too. I tend to make bigger quilts. I like them to be used, and nothing says 'warm and cozy' to me more than a house whose beds are layered in beautiful handmade quilts. This one will probably end up on my bed, even city mouse likes it. I about fainted when ,as I'm basting it, he comes in the room and says 'Wow! That's really beautiful. I can see that one on the bed.' So I have my machine humming away today. I would love to have this one done by the end of the month. Don't know if it will happen, but I know I've made lots of progress on it, so I'm a happy mouse.

I am also going to start working on some baby quilts soon. Actually I went out and bought some fabrics yesterday. I have 4 co-workers due one right after the other, the first one being due in April. Now, not that I HAVE to make quilts for everyone, but I really do love having such a unique gift for them that they can actually be involved in if they wish. And I can't tell you how many of them have been used on the wall as focal points in decorating the baby's room, that makes me feel good. So I was talking with dad of baby number one and they would like a black/white/red quilt. Fabrics are bought, pattern chosen, now to get working on it :cD

Also happy to report that I'm healthy enough to start training again. That cold/flu thing really kicked my butt for a while there. Finally got a good workout in yesterday...a run/bike/run brick. Not as much as I would like to be doing, but I think my base fitness is good enough that I could probably be in shape for a spring half marathon so I'm excited!!

Well, I have the day off from work today, so I am off to get some work and plenty of play in today. Warm counrty wishes!

UFO sightings...Monday update

2008-01-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its another Monday. The weather is getting back to normal in this part of the country. Got a nice dusting of snow making for great quilting weather. So I took advantage of it to get some work done :cD One of my on-line groups has a quilt along group we call 'the finish line' where you choose one day a week and devote it totally to working on your UFOs. Since I don't usually work on Mondays, today is my day. I started off by getting my BOM basted. I pin basted it, and WOW I did NOT realize how many pins it was gonna take! I really didn't have as many as I would have liked to have really basted it well, but I think I got the job done for at least the center. I spent some time quilting it and got most of what I like to call the 'grid quilting' done. I figure once I get the grid quilting done I'll focus on each block. So far so good with the quilting. Only one tiny tuck that I'm sure I could correct if I want to (which, being the perfectionist I can be, I probably will). I would love to say I got lots done, but all that basting made my carpal tunnel flare, so after about 2 hours of working on it, I moved on to another project. Project number 2 was blocks for a string quilt. I love these kinds of quilts. This will be the third one I've made. The first was made for a raffle, the second is on my bed, but only has a 6" drop, so I am making this one to be sizeably bigger. I am enamored with the frugality of these blocks, and the memories that can be found in each one. Every time I look at the blocks I remember where the fabrics came from. Mmmmmm...warm, fuzzy thoughts :c) I have such a hard time parting with some of my favorites that I am happy when I see every last scrap being used for a project. Speaking of which, I found a way to keep some of those littlest scraps around. It may not be a new idea, but its one I've never seen before. I saw in another blog (which I'm sorry to say I don't remember the name of) where the author kept even the little 'dog ears' that she snipped off in jars separated by color. I started thinking about how could I keep fabrics out where I could see them on a daily basis? Then I started thinking about all the empty spools I seem to have around. Hmmmm...... so I found a couple peices of fabric I couldn't part with, but really weren't a 'useable size' and made these...

Ok, I know the picture isn't the greatest, but I think you get the idea. I was thinking about making a fabric bowl, and keeping them out on display in my sewing area. Now to dig out those little scraps I couldn't part with ;)

So far I have only bought 1/2 yard of fabric for a swap, and have used exclusivly from my stash for the other swaps I have joined. It feels good to be using up some of that 'someday' fabric! So there it is in a nutshell. Pretty good day overall. Unfortunatly its back to the regular grind tomorrow, so I am off to relax and enjoy the rest of my evening off . Warm country wishes!

Just an update...

2008-01-11T06:10:00.001-08:00

Can't say I've done a whole lot the last day or two, I've been down with a stomach flu or something...I hate being sick :( I did make a little progress on a few quilts, though. I got out to buy backing for my BOM 2006, now to get it basted. Hope to do that this weekend. Also got to work on my double irish chain. I am doing it totally scrappy. Wanted to share a pic of that. I'm not too sure about the block that is in the center of the top row. I'm afraid the center may be a bit dark. Guess I'll make that decision later. Also made some progress on my mocha lover's quilt. I hate to say this, but I may have to replace a block or two. I hate to say that because I got the blocks for this top from a swap. I know most everyone in the groups I'm in does the best job that they are able to, but I have 2 blocks that have problems with not leaving me enough fabric for the seam allowance. Maybe I can make them work, guess that's another wait and see. Well, its time for me to go get the house ready for the weekend. Hate to have house work left over on the 2 days we actually get to spend as a family, so this little mouse is gonna go get busy. Warm country wishes :cD

country mouse

Sooooo....what do you think about?

2008-01-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like about having a blog is that I can ramble on about things that those in my house don't understand or don't think about and hopefully strike a chord with someone out there who is interested. With that being said I was sewing today and started thinking about all sorts of things. I'm sure we all do this. Think about what we have to do, how our day has gone, maybe about the person you are making a quilt for, family or old friends. But how about those odd thoughts that just kinda pop up? Case in point, while I was sewing today, winding yet another bobbin, I looked down at my spools of thread to see one that had 1000 yards on it. It got me thinking, how much thread do I use in peicing my quilt tops? I know I've used through many a spool of thread. Now, I used to be in the marching band way back in HS, so I am familiar with the 100 yard football field. I started thinking I know I'll use that whole spool at some point, and wow that is equal to 50 trips down and back on the football field! Thats a lot of walking. Then I started to wonder how many spools it would take to span the marathon distance? How would that much thread look like if it were just pulled off the spool and piled on the floor? Hmmmmmm.....I know, only the kind of thoughts a quilter would have. But it is interesting to think that thread that could cover that kind of distance can be used to make something the size of a bed quilt. That's a lot of thread in a relatively small space. Something to think about, huh ;)

Wanted to share a couple of pictures. The first is of a journal cover I made. It was in one of my quilting magazines, and I thought it was a cool way to cover just a plain old composition book that I wanted to use as a journal. I think I am going to be making more of these. They were quite easy, and I just love an extra opportunity to touch fabric everyday :cD

The other is of what I was working on today (OK, the main project anyway). I finally got the borders on my 2006 BOM. This is just a pic of the corner, but the pic I had of it on the bed did not show the borders so I decided to share this one instead. It feels really good to have this one ready to baste and start quilting. I am waiting for the sale going on next week at Jo-Ann's to get my backing and batting for this one so I am going to pull another UFO out and get to working. Well, I am off to go play with my scaps. I may also get a little more sewing done on my Mocha lovers top. Gotta udwind from the stress from work and I wasn't even there today. There was an altercation that I had to go in and fill out a paper about. I wasn't directly involved, but I was a witness and they wanted as many points of view as they can get to help make decisions. UGH! I hate getting involved in things like that, but I understand why they do it. So I am off to play some more, hope you all find some quilty time too. Warm country wishes :cD

country mouse

Feeling more like 'home'

2008-01-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

My blog is really starting to feel like 'mine'. I finally figured out how to post some more things to my blog. I have a scripture tag I found a Christian Women Online Magazine. And I found the Fabric Diet badge on a blog while I was surfing (Hanne's Quilt Corner). She was kind enough to put it on her site to share with anyone that is looking to use their stash. Thank you Hanne! That is another one of my goals this year...to use up some of what I've bought in the past. You know, all those "I'll use them someday" fabrics? Well I've decided that 'someday' will be this year. I'm still playing, I'm having so much fun learning all this new stuff! :cD

I did get out to run today. Maybe not all that far, but it felt good to be out in the fresh air. We have a nice park nearby, but there are still days I miss running on the country back roads where I grew up. But I feel good that I got out, even if it was in a cold drizzle.

I have the evening free to sew. Yeeehaaaw! I am going to try to get a batch of rosebud blocks done tonight, then I am going to get some work done on my scrapy double irish chain. I think I have enough 2 1/2" squares to make about a million blocks for it. I keep going through my scrap piles and cutting. It feels good to watch the scraps baskets shrink. Although I sometimes think scraps multiply on their own cause there are days I swear I end up with more than I started with and I haven't cut any new fabrics. Ahhh well, I'm sure I'll find a use for them. My motto is 'The scrappier the better' when it comes to my quilts. Well, I'm off to get some sewing done. Warm country wishes,
country mouse :cD

Yippee!! A day off!!

2008-01-03T14:25:00.001-08:00

I love a day off! I feel like I can get so much done, especially if I get up early like I did today. I have been able to work on 5, yes 5 quilts today plus complete a little side project, and the day isn't over yet!! I wanted to share a picture of what will hopefully be my first finish of 2008. It is a block of the month I did in 2006 and I think its about time to 'get-r-done'. I have the border fabrics picked out and cut. I just have to get them attatched and I can get on to quilting. Wooohooo! Oh, and I got some house cleaning done, but hey, who really wants to hear about that ;)

I have also been playing around a little bit trying to figure out how to personalize and customize my blog a little bit more. I am not the most computer literate, but I'm getting there. Guess my brother won't be able to buy me that "I'm road-kill on the information super-high way" bumper sticker after all. :cD I am still figuring stuff out, but having lots of fun.

Well, I'm off to get a few more things done. I like to keep myself one busy little mouse. Warm country wishes :)

country mouse

And away we go....

2008-01-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I've decided to take the leap and start a blog. I've enjoyed reading others and thought 'what the heck, I'll give it a go'. :D You may be wondering about my blog title. A little about myself. My name is JaDee and I grew up in a rural area near Amish country. I love the country life. Home cooked meals, running in the fresh air, hand made items (especially quilts which is what I will probably write about most in my ramblings), you name it. Well, I got married to a 'city mouse' if you will that whisked me away to the city to live. So here I am a counrty mouse in the city ;)

Among my personal goals for 2008 are to finish up a lot of quilts I have started in the last couple years. I belong to a few on-line groups and have lots of blocks from swaps that are calling my name. "Turn us into quilts. We want to be used and loved and admired." they say to me, so I have made up my mind to answer their call. I am also going to be training for my first full marathon since having my kids. So it will be an interesting journey, and I'm glad to have my little spot on the web to share it all!