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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Amy Butler Bags sewn by Kathy Green
The second bag she made is the Nappy Bag. Kathy has examples of the bag being used for the beach, as a craft bag and for knitting. I'm so glad she does not see all the stuff I lug around. The samples would have to be called...."the wild and hairy bag of God knows what." I don't think that pattern would sell well....or maybe it would :)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Waste Not - Want Not!!! Recycling at it's best!!!
When is it ok to throw away fabric? How used is too used? I found this and was thinking about the which presser foot I would need for this one.....I"m still not sure. What do you think? Perhaps I could make this into a nice lawn chair cover?
Can you tell what I spent my entire weekend doing with my husband? You guessed it....we spent two entire days working until we near dropped. We were able to remove all the old landscaping and got the ground ready to choose something different.
Since the economy is in "recession" we are tightening our wallets as well. Getting hair replacement therapy is out of the question for Rick; I re-purposed this beautiful piece and now it is Rick's new toupee. I love the long locks....sort of a Earthy Rock Grunge look....do ya like it?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Here It Is....The New Bias Tape Maker by Simplicity
Here is a sneak peak of the NEW Bias Tape Maker by Simplicity. AS OF JUNE 5TH THE BIAS TAPE MAKER IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 74.99. It won't be available until Aug and I'm soooo sad about that. Checker Distributors only has ONE. Can you believe it? They are taking it to Quilt Market in Pittsburgh next month. However, I got a sneak peak and full demonstration and I love it. I will be owning one of these babies. they will retail for 99.00 and I will have them available for 74.99. I will take pre-orders if you want to be one of the first to have one. (If I liked crackers and water better, I'd steal this one from Checkers. It would probably be taken into the evidence room at the police station and I would not get to play with it anyway....so I'll just wait until Aug.)
First you cut your fabric on the bias (if you need bias cut fabric-I don't use bias cut for my small projects like the straps on my Bag Tags) and wind it around this spool. It comes out easily.
Right now it comes with the 1 inch tip but I imagine they will have other sizes soon. Did I mention the entire thing only weighs about 1 lb. It is small and just flips open. It is electric but you can't really see the cord in my pix. No, I don't work for Simplicity nor do I own stock in Simplicity.....I just really like things that work as they are advertised!!!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fun Things for Little Girls
Friday, April 24, 2009
Eli Whitney
Aaron & Zach
Join the Bloggers Quilt Festival 2009
This is a quilt I made for my living room. I really like the circles and how they play together. Janet Bellinger of Wellsboro, PA was teaching the class at Needles Quilt Shoppe. I decided to take the class and went into Needles to select some fabric. Up until this point I had mainly made quilts as gifts for others.
Katie and Mary,owners of Needles Quilt Shop , encouraged me to pick fabrics that go with my furniture and make a quilt for myself. Well, that was a novel idea. Make something for myself!!! Hmmmm.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Take a Peek
One single lonely Salvage...yes just one. That is all I have. I have always thrown them out. Lately with my re-assignment projects....they don't come with salvages. So, I have exactly one and a very nice storage method I might add!!! You have to check out The Salvage Blog There are so many cool salvage projects. Too bad it will be awhile before I can make anything more than a G string :( And one is probably not enough for that....I don't even know if they have patterns for those....and who would I give it to? Oh just forget it....I'll just save it until I get more.
A close up so you can really see how cool my one .... yes ONE....salvage is....so very cool!!! Don't blink, you might miss it.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
STUMBLE, SABLE, AFGO, & BALOGNA
Stumble- Stash Taking Up Most Baskets & Living Environment
Sable- Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy
AFGO- Another Flipping Growth Opportunity (when you have to tear the same zipper out 4 or 5 times)
Pandabalognium- Pronounced- Panda Bologna-Um That is when all heck breaks loose like pandemonium but there is a hint of Bologna going on. (Feel free to use the other three as your own....but this one is mine girls....I made it up and I'm a keepin it)
Just thought I would start out this day with a vocabulary lesson. Now on to the best and most interesting topic of all...Gifts....espceially gifts given to ME. This is a miniature made by MJE and it is one of Bonnie Hunter's patterns. I remember when Mary Jane saw this and got excited. She and I sorted through her scraps....and I made fun of her for having all those scraps (be careful what you laugh at....you may either become it....or begin to value it). I know it is not the best picture but it is one I have here handy. It hangs in my sewing area and I just love it.
There were many e-mails and comments yesterday about my "re-assignment surgery" analogy. This poor guy was born a prince and will die a frog!!!
One woman commented that her daughter wanted a quilt made from her childhood clothing. The woman tried to cut it up but had a very hard time. Ladies.....this is exactly why doctors do not do surgery on their family members.....send those things out to your most trusted surgeon/stitching friends for re-assignment!!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Cliff Hanger Revealed
Monday, April 20, 2009
"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle"
A quick funny here....I put these in the washer and Rick finished putting the clothes in the dryer and then folded them. He was very puzzled when he saw all these men's shirts in the laundry. Rick called me from another room and asked, "Kelly.....what are these?" I didn't have the courage to tell him that I'm am having on-going affairs with several men that wear different size shirts....so I just told him they were for a quilt. Can you believe he fell for that one?
Then there was this Old Navy bag. It was not big enough to hold an umbrella. The fabric was cute and it had two little handles. I could only guess it came with a bathing suit in it or something. Really nothing usable.....or was it? I saw a fun Bag Tag in my future and got so excited that I forgot to take a before picture. Schucks or as I taught my boys to say Schuckeleydoo!!! Take my word for it....the little bag would not hold a bottle of sun tan lotion it was so small. I even used the handle for the Bag Tag. When I cut the bag apart I could not bare to throw away that little "Old Navy" tag....so I used it as an embellishment. Waste not, want not :) [I know what you are thinking...."I'm so glad she did not find an old bra or pair of underware" Am I right?]
I selected the fabric for the giveaway Bag Tags from my stash. The gals e-mailed me their color preferences. I have a fabric stash....not a really big one....but one none the less. I guess I never planned on needing a thread stash too!!! Take a look at this.....I needed it to stretch for a bobbin and top thread for 4 Bag Tags.....do you think I made it?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
What do you call a scared tyrannosaurus?
These bags are called Hioto Bags and I think they make great Gym bags and overnight bags too. I use mine almost everyday when I go to the gym. It is very big and I can fit all my necessaries into it (except my shoes....that happens when you are 6 feet tall and have a size 12 foot). I've made between 6 and 8 for gifts and here are some that I've made recently and have given away.
Rachel's Bag
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Ideas!!! Need some? Got some!!!
Another gift that I like to give are the Criss Cross Coasters, Hot Pads and Pot Holders. I've given mine all away as gifts so I don't have a picture of one for you. However, I do know that All Sorts blog had posted a tutorial on them with really fun fabrics back on 11/21/06 (told you I love to look at blogs :).
I've seen quite a bit of salvage sewing lately on many blogs. I think the Criss Cross coasters would look very cute made with salvages. If anyone makes some, please e-mail me a pix to post. I don't have enough salvages to make a small square much less an entire coaster :)
The last idea I want to share today is the fabric flowers that I saw on Blair Peter's Craft Wise blog. These flowers are lots of fun and I think they will be great on purses, on a blouse, jacket and/ or hat.
Yesterday I went to the recycle center to do my recycling. As many of you already know, I collect the Box Tops for Education. Well, when I go to the recycle center I see a ton of card board boxes with the box tops still intact. So I spend 30 minutes or so tearing off the labels and putting them in my pocket. Perhaps most people have never seen a grown woman garbage pick in their entire lives because I get the funniest looks from people. Today a man asked me what I was looking for.....I so badly wanted to say I'm looking for something I threw away by accident......but I did not....I just replied....the Pink Box Tops for Education worth 10 cents each!!! I got 4.60 worth of box tops today....that is cash to the school!!! So people really are throwing money into the recycle bin. I don't get into the bin...I just take the ones I can reach (I'm 6' tall) but now if there were lots of quilting or stitching magazines in that bin....you bet your booty I'd climb right in to get them no matter who was watching!!!
Smiles,
Kelly
Friday, April 17, 2009
Stand By for A Station Identification ERROR
The "Tag You're It Give Away" experienced an error!!!! OOPS
I promised to draw a name for every 25 comments that were left between April 1 and April 15. There were a total of 57 comments. So I needed to draw again....so this morning I did a random number generation and it was 45....which is
PunchneedleandMe....Starr won too.
Also, the first announced winner was incorrect. The Cottage Quilter e-mailed me an pointed out that I made a mistake. The winner was KatC....How nice and honest was that? Since I love giveaways and I appreciate her help....The Cottage Quilter is getting 4 as well.
I have not heard from Khris for the "New On The Market" post. Khris please e-mail me at IHaveANotion@yahoo.com and let me know what your choice is...bag tags or magnets.
Thank you all for your understanding and Congrats to the winners :)
The Perfectly Imperfect Kelly
Cockle Doodle Doooo!!!
Kathy Wilson had these items posted on her blog. As you all know I love to blog-surf* on occasion. I wrote and asked could I pretty please, pretty please, pretty please have her as a guest artist. Like so many kind and generous gals...she agreed. This is a little bit about Kathy and her work:
"I was born & raised in Tennessee. I love all types of art even though my passion is quilting & oil painting. My inspiration comes from my grandmother who was a quilter & my mother who was an artist. I have been interested in all types of hand work. My very first quilt was one that I cross stitched & then hand quilted. It was a work in progress for about 10 years. I started oil painting 3 years ago. I wanted to learn something different so I thought I would give it a try. The Crazy Patch block is also something new I wanted to try. Maybe one day I will complete enough blocks to make a quilt. The "Rooster" block is from a block of the month series designed by Maggie Walker. It is titled A Country Journal. You can find her work at http://www.maggiewalkerdesign.com/"
I also was attracted to the crazy quilt work because I also enjoy embroidery. When I belonged to a SAGA group in MI I learned many of these stitches. I made some wall hangings and a pillow (gave them away as gifts) and I really like seeing all the handwork.
Have a great day....there is frost on the grass and it is cold here....but I bet it is warm by noon :)
Smiles, Kelly
*Blog-Surf...I have no idea if this is an official term or if I just made it up because it made sense....I truly think it could be added to the X Games...like those skateboard guys and the BMX bikers....can you see a new category of all of us quilters and stitchers....old ladies by the X-Games standards (mostly very young guys)....I can hear the commentators now....they might treat us like Simon Cowell treated Susan Boyle. If you are not sure what I'm referring to, google Susan Boyle and make sure to see her sing, "I Have A Dream"...I loved it and she surprised everyone...and we'd surprise those fellas at the X Games :)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
AND THE WINNERS ARE.....
Khris won the choice of 4 Bag Tags or 4 Magnets...your choice. This was for the Easy Reach Thread Carousel feedback. The Random number generated was 11.
Girls...please e-mail me at IHaveANotion@yahoo.com and let me know what your selections are.
Thank you to everyone who left a comment and participated in this give away.
Smiles,
Kelly
Annie Get Your Gun? Or AMO Case?
One of the gals at the meeting was sharing her organizational system for storing her threads and beads. Out of her bag came two AMO Boxes. One was for 416 Mag and the other was for a 45 caliber. I almost fell out laughing. She had found them at a hunting/fishing shop. They were perfect for holding her thread and beads. So, if you are in need of some of these "specialty boxes" perhaps you better skip the stitching shop and head over to your local gun supply store!!!
I don't recommend taking your threads on an airplane in those however. You are certain to be stopped and checked thoroughly :)
Lastly on the humor....an announcement was made that there will be a "Stitch and Pitch" sponsored by the Mud Hens (a baseball team here in Toledo). Admission to the park that night would be 8.00 and you can bring your knitting and/or stitching and do your needlework while you watch baseball. Well...my mind began reeling from there....next I thought it would be better if we went to a "Stitch in the Ditch." The entire group of us could dawn our bathing suits and lay in a ditch and stitch for a photo opportunity. Then of course the photos could be made into a calender and the guild could use this as a fundraiser. God only knows where my mind would go next.....I stopped myself!!!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Have A Heart!!!
I can be placed on top of your desk, dashboard, or counter as a reminder that you are appreciated. When frustrated and tense you can lift me up- smell me- and breath in the calming effects of lavender. On really bad days, you can throw me at those who torment and anger you and innocently claim you were offering aromatherapy!!
Enjoy and have GREAT DAY!!!