Looking Back...

... 2012 has been a tough year for me, indeed.  My quilting "to do" list remained mostly untouched this year... it happens.  So what I think I'll do is look it over & change the date!!! They're all projects I want to sew and there's no rule that says "New Year, New List"...

I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions... but, in the wake of next to no sewing in 2012... I just might make an exception.  The joy and relaxation and peace of mind that comes with creating, I need to find.  But, honestly, I first need to clear off my sewing table & re-organize all of my projects.  (There are "things" that have been "temporarily" placed there for well over a year. Oops!)

SO... With that in mind:

My single New Year's Resolution... to re-discover my quilting & bring joy to others through my creations. 

Happy 2013... May you be richly blessed each & every day!! :o)
Happy Quilting!!

Christmas Card, 2012

Toile Of Branches Christmas Card

Click here to browse Shutterfly Christmas card designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

What's on the table right now...

... batiks.  A few years ago, my husby pretty much bought out Connecting Threads for Christmas.  I have 5 different batik 5" square charm packs that have been patiently waiting for the right pattern/idea/time to make an appearance.  I opened up two of the packs~ Sunset batiks & the Landscape batiks.

What to do with all the prettiness?! 

I found a simple~ yet elegant~ tutorial on the Quilting Gallery's quilting blog... and am giving it a go with these squares.  Here's the link: http://quiltinggallery.com/2008/03/07/charm-square-quilt/.  I've got two of my 9-patch blocks completed from these squares.  I'm putting them together where some are random combinations & others are consciously selected.  Cannot wait to see what happens when I cut them down the center!!! This is going to be one seriously awesome baby quilt...

And, lastly, here's the updated (and completed!) tree ring in our front yard:

One down... several more to go!

My local Home Depot didn't carry Hosta plants... which I found interesting.  From all the research I did, I found that Hosta plants are the only ones that thrive living under pine trees.  Surprisingly~ these Hosta plants were found & purchased at Wal-Mart... after the garden associate recommended I try a top-$$$ nursery in town.  Me thinkith not!! 

Anyway~ I've a quiet house at the moment... which means I should get back into the batiks & finish up these 9-patch blocks so I can move onto the next step & then fiddle with different lay-outs! Look for those pictures next... 

Happy Quilting!!! :o) 

Proper Display

Since re-arranging furniture isn't always plausible... re-arranging photos, quilts, and other wall-adornments IS!  For the last few months, I've known & been mulling over where I wanted to move things~ what I wanted to put in it's place~ and how to do it without cluttering up wall space.  Our home is welcoming & lived in; it'll never look sterile or like it's been ripped out of the pages of some interior design magazine.  And I'm perfectly a-ok with that!!

When dad passed, I knew that the Starburst quilt would come "home"... and I knew where I wanted to put it.  Somewhere honorable~ somewhere seen by all who are in my home~ and somewhere fitting for display.  Long story short~ the living room.

If I lived in a "normal" house~ without high, sloping, architecturally interesting lines~ hanging a 66" curtain rod would be a piece of cake.  But, that's not how our house is designed.  The quilt itself is 62" square so the rod has to be way up there on the wall so that it's not hanging behind the couch.

Murphy's Law: the big ladder is in the shed out back.  The 4-rung "cute" ladder is the only one for which I had easy access.  This meant standing on the top rung~ balancing & switching between a 1/8th drill bit & Phillips head attachment~ measuring where to put the 6 holes~ and (doing something that only a girl could/would) shoving the little level in the front of my bra so it was easily accessible.  Hooah!

If you want something done right~ you had best learn to do it yourself.  I learned that lesson from two very important women in my life: my mother & my grandmother.  My mother would walk upstairs with drill in-hand & take care of business.  [Why my dad's reaction was always, "Oh shit~ what's your mother doing with a drill now?!"... I'll never understand.  But my husby says the same sort of thing to me as well.  *scratches head* Whatever.]  Both taught me that it was foolish to rely on others to do things that you were perfectly capable of doing; within reason, of course.  Kudos to these strong women for passing on so graciously such a powerful lesson.  I was watching when you didn't think I was...

... and the result: the Starburst quilt was hung in an hour. :o)
Happy Quilting~ or DIY-ing!!!

Dusting off... and Getting back in the saddle...

 successfully got the dust off my sewing machine today & made the Cars valance for my son's "big boy" room this afternoon before dinner.  It's the first I've sewn since my dad's hospice care & passing in the Spring.

They're simple curtains~ nothing fancy.  I didn't even bother with finished seams; they're going in a boy's bedroom up on the window... where nobody had better comment-- let alone notice!-- unfinished seams!!! He'll change his mind on proper room decor before they wear out.  But, more importantly, I made them.  The table got cleared off & I found my rotary cutter & rulers & cutting mat.... and they were started & finished in under 45 minutes with an interlude; 10 minute phone call from husby.

Cars curtain with a puff-ball accent at the bottom!

Got the curtain up on the window & the old "baby" one taken down while a little someone was watching (duh!) Cars... dinner & then when he went back to playing in the living room... I bolted into his room with the little ladder to put up the border.  It's a parent's dream~ the border is vinyl sticker.  $10 or so... easy-peasy to put up... and easy-peasy to take down without ruining any paint.  Gotta hand it to the home-dec industry; these wall-stickers are the easiest way to change a child's room without busting the bank or having to constantly re-paint.  This mom *totally* appreciates that!!! Thank you!!!

Anyway... now that I've crossed the initial hurdle of sewing... So.Many.Quilts.To.Make!!  I have a table runner to finish~ and too many friends having babies!  By mid-August, I absolutely have to get those three projects completed. 

Looks like I'd best be getting busy!!! 

Happy Quilting!! :o)

Lost: Sewing Table... REWARD!!!

... the end of the school year came & this year, for the first time ever, I took my "stuff" home.  There are too many boxes/totes in the garage to count... and two copy boxes full of "stuff" on my sewing table~ along with two other containers on my sewing chair.  Long story short: my sewing table has gone missing!!! I'm quite certain that it's under all the "stuff" but I can't quite seem to find it.... a little help, perhaps?! Anyone *really* want to hang out with me & help me go through my teaching "stuff" so that I can re-claim my table?!  ...I have really good wine!!! :o)

See how my sewing machine misses me?! 

And, to think, I have the nerve to say that I got RID of $1000's worth of more "stuff" before the school year ended!! Up on the top of my Summer "To-Do" list is to organize & cull even further so that~ sooner rather than later~ I can reclaim my sewing chair & get back to creating with fabric.

So, in the meantime, since I'm unable to access my "stuff"..... I worked in the front yard a bit.  Very slowly~ one tree at a time~ I'm going to get the front yard looking manicured.  If the grass wants to comply, that would be fabulous!! But in the meantime, I'm going to get the rest of it in shape.  Today, I did the first tree ring.  Rather easy since all we have here is sand; leveling does not prove to be an issue. 

The first tree in question for a makeover!! 

We have so many trees in the front yard... there are 2 that will have a complete tree ring around them~ this one had the most level ground surrounding it already.  The other one will present a bit of a challenge as the ground is sloped oddly.  Yet another tree will have a retaining wall around it~ and two others will have a garden space (think kidney-shaped) created.  I started small.

This is how far my guesstimate of 30 blocks got me... oops!

My husby thinks the ring is "too big"... well, I disagree.  For two reasons: 1) The tree will grow, and 2) I intend to put plants around it & have no desire to shrink my circle. [Moreover, it was a lot of work to get that ring set; no way am I re-doing it!] Back to Home Depot for wall blocks, Round 2... I was (obviously) short.

Finished for today!! 44 wall blocks... 8 bags of topsoil... More on the way...

Of course, 8 bags of topsoil doesn't fill my ring adequately; guess they're smaller then I thought.  I most likely need another 6 or so more and my researched-out Hosta plants.  Apparently they're the only plant that will tolerate & thrive under a pine tree.  My mission is now to find said plants~ Home Depot didn't have them.  Looks like I'll have to try my local nursery... thankfully we have just a few of those!!!

Stay tuned!! One of these days, I'll have an updated posting with quilts!!

For those of you with functioning sewing machines~ Happy Quilting!!

Searching for my groove... Have you seen it?!

This winter/early Spring has been a difficult one... and I've lost my desire to sit at my machine.  Don't get me wrong~ the projects in the pile & on the list have me wanting to start cutting & creating...

But, I've just lost my groove.  Well, I lost more than just my groove... I lost my Dad.  He passed away on April 10th after a nearly 3 year long battle with Colon Cancer.  He was only 65 years old.  I was fortunate enough to be able to go back & forth to LA twice, each time for 5-6 days to be able to help care for him & to be able to say good-bye.  I'm not good at good-bye's. Especially this type.  In fact, I'm really bad at them.

Most everyone sees only my strong side... and I realize I've inherited that Hartley pride that I saw in my father & his mother... the side that can look you square in the eye the day after he passed... tell you so... recount the medical care he received that made him comfortable in those end days... tell you his passing was a blessing because he suffered so greatly... how lucky I was to be able to help my sister & mother as well as spend time with him... and then get back to work with a smile.  It's the only side of me that anyone will see.  The empty hole left hurts terribly; and the grief is overwhelming at times.  It works best for me to cope with my grief in private...

Each day we wake to experience life all over again is a blessing... and like I promised Dad, I'll teach my son (and any other future children in our family) all those lessons he taught me growing up because that's the best gift I can pay forward...

June 14, 2008 ... walking me down the isle... 

Gone~ maybe... Forgotten~ never.  

I love you, Dad... maybe you can help me find my groove to get back to my sewing machine... lots of quilts await!!!  Sewing healed my broken heart once before, I'm sure it'll be able to do it again.

My dearest Bernina...

... I promise I'm still here & still dreaming up projects.  School has me ridiculously tied up (but that's par for the course this time of year) and I've not been successful at finding time to make sure your gears still work properly.  We've got lots of projects to work on~ a table runner to sandwich & quilt, a few baby quilts to do, and I've got a pattern in mind for a casserole carrier or two or three...

Once I can get life to slow down for a few moments~ or hopefully more than a few~ we will SO be back in business.  Just wanted you to know I hadn't forgotten about you.  I did clean up & organize the table!

I'll be back... soon... promise!  I'll even pinky-swear... !
Your Negligent Owner,
Lil Miss V

ps: I really hate that I haven't sewn since the turn of the year-- we're just about into March here and I'm feeling so unproductive!  Sew many things I want to do... lacking in the time department.  Once I get home from work & spend time with my munchkin... I'm drained & can hardly muster energy for much of anything. *sigh* Nothing like being a workin' mama with a toddler, a cat, two dogs, multiple fish tanks, & a husby with a crazy schedule himself!!!

The next installment...

... in the Pay it Forward 2011 saga continues!  I've got the top finished for this particular table runner & do not have proper backing fabric.  Grrrr... I wanted to finish this & mail it off to its recipient in Alabama.  Yes, Sarah... this is yours!  I confess to doing some quasi-covert Facebook "research" to see how large (about) your dining room table it... thank you for posting those photos from Thanksgiving~ made my job easier!!!  Hopefully it's sized to look proportionate; not too big & not too small.

The fabric... and the pattern... 

This is a "Jacob's Ladder" block. It's a basic 9-patch. 

Top of the table runner... 

More of a close-up... 

The real trick was how to combine her favorite colors (and her home decor choice) and not have it scream C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S... red & green are tricky like that.  The red fabric has green swirled into it~ which helps minimize the holiday feel.  Either way, hopefully it looks awesome on their dinner table when I get it backed, quilted, & mailed.  

If you're keeping count, of the 5 on the Pay it Forward list... this is the 3rd... and because it's half-way finished... that means I'm exactly half-way done with my 2011 list.  Because I like the giving part of it, for 2012 I decided that I'm going to randomly select 5 of my friends & give them a little surprise.  No advance notice to look for something in the mail; just a random package with a little note inside.  And then it's up to them how they want to pay it forward from there. 

At the turn of the year, a lot of people make "resolutions"... what a silly waste of time! Well, for me it is.  If you want to change~ no time like the present to start.  But, if I were to be twisted into one~ it would be to always make time for my quilting because it gives me such joy... I rarely keep what I make anyway; most find homes elsewhere.  

The 2012 Project List tab has been updated to reflect what I want to accomplish this year~ and what I remembered off the top of my head without looking in the stash.  We'll see how much I finish... and how much gets added to the list as the year progresses!!! 

Happy New Year... and Happy Quilting!!! :o)