AYOS October "Clover"

This by far has got to be my absolute FAVORITE quilt.  Period.  The cutting is easy peasy, the piecing is easy and the placement is not to bad BUT you really have to concentrate.  It is what I would call for the intermediate to advanced quilter.  I think it would frustrate a beginner.  Its all done on a diagonal but you have to follow the pattern.  I ended up copying the paper with the layout on it and everytime I sewed a row I crossed it out with bright yellow marker...I had to keep myself straight and this was the best way to do it.  I did finish it tonight with three hours to spare for the deadline of midnight. 

Now I have to tell you, we hardly EVER get trick or treaters....maybe 2....so I figured I can sew this no problem, uninterrupted time!!!!  NOT!!! I got 10 trick or treaters.....I know, I know, that is NOT a lot, but when your trying to focus on diagonal lines, 685 pieces and fabric placement that is 10 doorbell rings!  Ten times of finding your place...you get the picture.  I only had to rip out fabric 2 times.  NOT BAD!

So without further waiting here is my Christmas Table runner.  Don't you LOVE it!!!!!

I used Wintergreen by 3Sisters for Moda.  Let me know what you think!

I will be posting a few more projects in the up coming days.....I have been really thinking about posting more then my AYOS projects. 

A much better , Happier day!

Well I thought I would give you an update to my machine dilemma.  Well Saturday as I moped about my hubby told me to just go by a new machine of my choice.  Although I knew he wanted to make me happy, and he is a great guy, really....I was still mourning the loss of my best friend the Janome.  Silly i know that but still.  So I called around asked a lot of questions and set up appointments to sit and sample sew with a few machines for Tuesday.  I spent most of the day researching machines and their reviews online.  Mid afternoon I decided to pick up my baby.  I called the guy and told him I was going to think about thinks but I would like to pick up my machine. He said if I were you I would just sew on it until it is flatlined, just have to turn it off and reboot it, he assured me I did need a new A Board, motherboard in computer talk.  Now this is a man that took over his dad's business which was started in the 1950's.  I bought this machine from him...... I went and he loaded it in the van.  Came home and was just sick.  I decided to just plug her in and see if she would go.  Plugged her in, picked my stitch selection depressed the pedal and nothing , just her light on and motor running. But no movement at all.  I tried in disbelief thinking if I pushed one more time she would just plug along.   Nope, notta, zilch. I went to bed heartbroken.

3:00am...BOING, wide awake with an Epiphany.....it hAS to be the pedal! The machine purs like a kitten, I can change the stitch selection, switch the embroidery and back again and no problem.  Has to be the pedal.  Turn the power on again, select straight stitch, press the pedal and nothing....BUT WAIT, jiggle the cord, push the pedal, nope, move it again, tweet it again and BAM, it works!!!

Quilted three mug mats on Sunday , add binding to one of them.  Now in between this I have two sick kids, so can't do much on Monday.  Tuesday load her up take her to the new Janome dealer  we get it set up plug it in, nothing.  Take out the plug, push the start stop button, it sews smoothly. Plug in the pedal, she presses the pedal while I jiggle the cord...yep it works!  So she gets the new pedal, plugs itin and  she is back in business!  New pedal costs only......drumroll.....$39.95!!!!!  No I did not even need an A board, a $600 A board, guy didn't know what he was talking about....Purchase the new pedal and now I am back in business.  No longer in mourning, but happily quilting again....so yeah, today was a great day!

Stay tuned for some new projects posted....I have a new appreciation for my trusty friend.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is NOT a very good day.  About 13 years ago my hubby got a flat tire and had a long wait for it to be fixed.  So he took a stroll...right into a sewing machine shoppe...Janome to be specific.  Brought home a top of the line Janome MC 5700 Sewing /Embroidery machine.  Best. Flat. Tire.  EVER!   Loved this machine.  Sewed ALL the time on it.  made many many things on it...made some money on it, made the kids clothes on it, made quilts (LOTS) on it.....you get the idea. 

Well about a week ago I was sewing very happily and I stopped, picked up the final block on a quilt I was working on and pushed down the pedal and NOTHING......WHAT????  couldn't be!!!! Right????  Nope nothing.   BUT ALL THE LIGHTS ARE ON....THE MOTOR IS HUMMING!!!!!! 

Take it down to be looked at:  Oh Mrs. H, its an intermittent problem.  You'll just have to shut it down and reboot it.  Well how much to fix this problem?  Only $600!!!!  WHAT????  Will that cure it????  Well that part yes but there is no telling how long the other 2 boards will work for.....WHAT ??????????

I still decided to call around and see what is available machine wise.  Find one at Husquvarna...real nice, real smooth, BUT computerized.  They all are....Every. Single. One.  WHAT TO DO????
Call said store, do you think I can still sew on mine?  Yes, they reply.  Worst case scenario you have to shut it down and reboot.

Well Okay then I will come by and pick it up then.....I can't see spending $600 for an A Board (the brain) with the possibility of having to purchase 2 more brains.  So I bring it home , turn it on, ask Jesus to bless my machine and keep it plugging along.  Cut out fabric.  Turn on machine....good so far, humming nicely.....adjust stitch length.....good......put fabric under foot, start driving it and NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WHAT????????????????????? That's right folks....NOTHING!!!!  I can't use my machine.  SO depressed....this was my trusted friend, we were going to grow old together.  But I guess Elsie is wanting to go RIP.  My heart is torn apart.

Well I certainly don't want my hubby to have another flat tire, but I will be looking at more machines on Monday.....wish me luck. 

AYOS Septembers Schnibbles......Mercie

So this was an AWESOME and very FUN quilt to make!  The pattern Called "Mercie" and you can find it here on Carrie's shop .   I was SO VERY FORTUNATE to WIN the way to Awesome ruler
Fit to be Quarter 6.5 Ruler from Carrie.  I have to tell you it made this quilt go as slick as can be!!!!  I did do two blogs without the ruler to see how it came together, Very simple.  This is a pattern you want to try!!! 

Okay so Here is my version...I used "Give Thanks" Charm packs by Sandy Garvis for Moda.  Its very Thanksgivineee, is that even a word?  LOL don't know but I will use it.  I wanted to make a runner to put on my table for Thanksgiving.  I have been wanting to do one for years but never did make it by the time Tgiving came around.  So this AYOS has gotten me to make what I have wanted in the past!
People always ask me, "what are you making it for"  I have been replying, "for me."  I have for years given away or sold all the projects I made.  If you walked into my house you would never know a quilter lived here....but that is changing and BIG TIME!!!!  I am spoiling myself.  And its about time I do!  Here's the quilt top, Enjoy!   P.S.  My machine broke right after I finished the borders so I couldn't complete it to the finish.  I hope to have it back by the end of the week.  I will post a picture of it quilted.  Thanks for stopping by!

AYOS Canasta

AYOS for August was Canasta, I fell in love with it the minute I saw it but let me tell you I think my hair is a bit grayer from making it!  I don't know what happened but I ended up with extra pieces and if you look close, but don't please, you will see where those pieces that belonged in the quilt never made it!  I was pretty upset because of course I didn't notice until it was all finished.....sigh.

I have decided I am not going to tear it out and correct it.  I have decided to heavily quilt this topper in hopes you won't see those mistakes.  Can you spot them?  Well I used to tell my quilting students the Amish deliberately put a mistake in their quilt because nobody is perfect only God.  So I guess you can say this is definitely Amish!  Oh well, onto the next fun Schnibbles quilt....wonder which it will be?   

Okay so I checked my stash because I was really trying to use up my stash so I found my charm pack  Blush for Moda by Basic Grey.  The fabrics are pretty and I thought they would make lovely baskets. 
Thanks for stopping by!  Go check out all the other GORGEOUS quilts made by other participants of the AYOS on Sinta's and Sherri's Blog!  Sit back and enjoy!

AYOS "Lincoln"

So when Sherri and Sinta posted the August Schnibbles pattern I was so excited!! The pattern called "Lincoln" was perfect for me!  You see I love Civil War Prints.  When I started to think about this pattern I went on the hunt for Civil War Period Prints.  I searched and searched and found it!  I used Metropolitan fair by Barbara Brackman for Moda.  If you don't know about her she has written many books with patterns for Civil War Era prints.  The stories in her books are fabulous....well more like Journal entries from people alive during that era.  So I thought it fitting to use that fabric! I was only able to finish the quilt top, got it done about 4 hours before leaving for vacation, see below.   So without further ado.....I present to you "Lincoln" Another Schnibbles Pattern.....Enjoy! And feel free to leave any comments! I sit and anxiously await the next pattern! 

Home again....................

Ahhhhh I just love vacation...this year we decided to do a road trip.  Yup, that is what we planned and I must say it was the BEST vacation EVER!  We headed out of here and the first night landed in Burns, Oregon, then onto Crater Lake.....Gorgeous isn't the word.  It just strikes you how amazing our God really is!! The beauty he has created is beyond words!  After a few hours observing we headed to our next stop, Grants Pass, Oregon.  Cute little town.  Our next big adventure was The Redwood Forrest....WOW O WOW~~ NOw that is a site to see!!  I was just Awestruck by the beauty of all the trees!  Crazy big trees!  Next stop was Brookings....not  a bad little town...Great fish dinner and a wonderful couple of Quilt shops.  Next Morning off to Florence, Oregon...I could live there!  After playing for two days there we headed over to Sisters to see some family and of course more quilt stores!! hehe.  After a wonderful time there we headed back home the next day but after we visted a few cute little towns and their shops and a Ghost town!  All in all It was AWESOME!  I have pictures of my quilt shop haul....let me tell you there were a "few" shops that I visited and I can tell you my awesome hubby found them and let me shop!  It was great. I do have to mention however, finding Civil War prints anywhere on the Western coast and Mid Oregon is quite a challenge....when I asked several of the Quilt Shop owners if they carried any they looked at me like I had three heads and said they don't do those dark colors....and one said it is so gloomy over here so much we only sell brights....I probably would have purchased so much more if I had found Civil war prints.  In the 10 shops I visited only ONE has a handful and as you can see I snapped them up!  Tonight I am posting My haul and soon I will post all the beauty we saw!  I just have to upload and crop my photo's.  That will take time because I took over 1000 photos!!! gasp!  but for now here are the cute things I found in the quilt shops along the way!  Enjoy!  P.S.  Notice Sherri's book !!  LOVE IT!!! You really need to check it out....Packed with FABULOUS projects!!! 

 

Dulcinea....AYOS

Hi Everyone!  I know its been a month since I posted any pictures , and I do have more quilt tops finished but just have not had an extra minute of time to post them. Are you living where it is HOT?  Today we hit the second day of 100+ temps and its only going to get worse for us, expecting temps up to 110!   And we are in the NORTHWEST people!!!!!

We have been busy with our two Special Olympians!! They did really well in State games and brought home Gold, Silver and Bronze!!! Proud of our girls.

Okay onto Dulcinea.....had a few challenges with this one , mainly because of so many distractions....became reacquainted with my seam ripper, which I didn't care to become friends with! lol  But alas, I am finshed!!!  I love, love , love the fabrics from Moda's  Chateau Rouge , By French General.  The colors are so rich and flavorful.  The boarder is also by French General but from a different line....something to do with Chocolate....but still gorgeous.

Wait no longer because here it is....and now I will eagerly await July's AYOS pattern....I am so excited...I love making these little Schnibbles...they are perfect for décor.....Until my next post!  Hope your having a happy summer!


                                           That is a bowl of wooden beans from Costa Rica, aren't they awesome?

  

                                          I did change it up just a bit with a straight border and added some
                                          Yoyo's to the center of each whirligig.

 Upclose of my quilting.....First I stitched in the ditch around each block, then I free motion quilted the boarders and in the red part of the whirlygigs.  Enjoy!

 

This IS my Blog! Follow me!

I am claiming that this is my blog and I own it!  Follow me on Bloglovin, just click the icon to the right!  Thank you . Will be posting some projects soon so stay tuned! :0)

Gentle Art

If your here from Roses of Inspiration Welcome!  This is an oldie but goody, sit back relax and enjoy! If you haven't been to Stephanie's blog...go visit.  You'll be glad you did!


So I have joined the Another Year of Schnibbles quilty fun that is posted on Sinta's Blog and Sherri's Blog.  While your there be sure to look around...amazing quilting going on there! 

The Vintage Schnibbles pattern they selected for May was "Gentle Art" and away I went!  Here is my photo of it, but it is not finished yet....I was way under the weather and just couldn't quilt it ....but stay tuned...I will....So I have a little story about why I selected these fabrics....you see my Grandparents and my mother came to America in the 50's for Opportunity.  They arrived on US soil and did all that was required to gain American Citizenship....My grandfather was a Cobbler in Italy, when he came to Brooklyn, New York he opened a Shoe Store on Avenue U.  My Grandmother went to work in the Garment district and became the head seamstress.  Back in the day that meant that you were quite the seamstress and boy was she ever!  Her skills were amazing.  Fast forward quite a few years to the early 70's, I was 6 years old, she wanted to teach the girls in my family how to sew, it is a must for an Italian girl...it will always bring you work she told us!  So she had us pick out an embroidery pattern, we ironed on the image on a pair of jeans and she taught us the stitches, then told us to pay attention to what we were doing and sat us down to sew.  Well, I did mine....I wanted a Tee Pee on my pant leg....I sewed and sewed, was SO proud of myself.....took off the hoop and showed my Nana!  She smiled and said to me to go try them on!  I did, in fact I can remember running down the hallway to the bathroom!  I was SO sad.....I went to my Nana crying and she introduced me to a seamripper.  Yep, I sewed the back and the front of the leg together.  Most important lesson I ever learned! LOL  And so I dedicate this quilt to the Memory of my Grandmother Concetta Ruggierio , the Spools of thread represent her awesome sewing skills and the colors represent the wonderful opportunities she had when she came to America, and for teaching me the invaluable skill of sewing.    Okay Okay...and now for the quilt top....enjoy!

Americana Nine Patch

I love, love, love anything red, white and blue and Americana.  There is something that stirs the patriot in me.  I love the USA...I love home.  So when I saw this little quilt in the book "Bits and Pieces" by Karen Costello Soltys I knew I HAD to make it! and it will be for my Raggedy and Andy Dolls I purchased two years ago from New York City at Toys R Us...it was a HUGE store and when I saw them I knew I had to own them.  So I just have to finish this beauty up and quilt it and then I will post it with Ann and Andy!  Stay tuned.........

Hat Trick

Its finished!  I quilted it a couple of weeks ago and then went on the hunt for some special buttons because I just felt like something was missing.  I hung it from my bannister to my back porch because I thought it looked like a cute vignette!  BUT you can't see the entire project so I took one in my living room so you can see more detail.  didn't really do a fancy quilting....but it will do.

I love my new blog!  Rick did a beautiful job designing it!  Don't you think?

I finally found my old blog but still can't get in it.  Anyway here is the link

http://www.raggedydayz.blogspot.com/

Pardon the dust!

So a friend of mine is helping me make my blog really pretty!  So bare with us as we set up the scene!!!  Thanks and pardon the dust!

I did it!  I completed my Schnibbles Quilt top with one day to spare!  Whoot!  This is exceptional given my busy schedule.  So excited....Used the Pattern Hat Trick and Warmth fabric by Moda.  Now I just need to back, bind and quilt it, but for the parade it is finished.  Enjoy!  If you would like to see the parade go to : http://pinkpincushion.blogspot.com/ On the first of the month for some serious drool!

Hello Everyone and welcome to my new blog.  I had another titled Another Raggedy dayz with blogger but I can't remember my password and have tried and tried but to no avail. And so here I am making a new one.  I will be posting quilts and scrap cards or layouts I make.  Feel free to leave me a message!  Again Welcome!