beautiful fabrics that won't be going into my attic storehouse EVER!

A few weeks ago I was traveling with some friends all over the place checking out quilt shops and I found this gorgeous fabric collection. 

 Don't the colors look so sunny and bright together?  They reminded me of a grandma's farm house, which was one of the reasons I had to have the fabric.  Some look like vintage sheets and tablecloths!

I have already cut the stack below to make a fun quilt that should be finished in a few days.  It is an easy, but very fun, pattern that I plan to have done very soon.   Also, I have plans for every piece of the fabric to be used before summer is over.  Not one piece is going into the attic sewing room/fabric hoarding area.  I mean it!



Yes, it's always time for Halloween at our house!

My husband and I just love the holidays, but by far, the ones we love best are Halloween and Christmas.  I admit that I do not really sew too many Christmas items, but that is because I always feel more pressure to get stuff done for Christmas if I make things.  I sew for Halloween during the summer, which leaves only a little time for Christmas sewing once I go back to school in September.  My goal this year is to have something Halloweenish for each room of the house this fall.  I might just make it!

Anyway, Ken and I have to travel pretty far to a bookstore now that our Borders is gone (don't even get me started on that sadness!) so when we go up west of here, we buy EVERYTHING we might want for a few months.  So, I saw this fabulous magazine of all fall quilting and had to have it.  You really need it too if you like fall sewing.  It's called QUILTING CELEBRATIONS and there is only one thing in there I will not be making.  It's that good.

The first thing I made was this adorable wallhanging.  it was fusible, but there was no machine applique or anything.  You just cut it all out, fuse it, put sheer black tulle (I got some with little sparkles in it) over it, quilt it with straight-style black quilting, bind it and DONE!  It was a fun and easy project (if I finished it in total, that means it was easy and FUN!).  Click on it to make it larger...then you can see how simple it really is. 

I have projects in various stages of completion all over my sewing areas, and there are many that I am actually finishing this year.  Hope you are enjoying your summer and getting some sewing done.

Babies of two kinds!

This June, we lost our dog Millie (the yellow lab) to liver and kidney shutdown.  She was 13 1/2 years old and had been one of the most entertaining dogs we ever had.  This left our Penny as an only dog for a few weeks.  She was moping and sad about being all alone.

Then we got one of these!!  Isn't this little one like a Minnie Me?  It only took Penny two and a half days to become pals with little Emma.  They are always together now and she seems to have made our Penny feel like a puppy again.  Did I mention that Ken and I do NOT feel like new puppies again?  Holy cow is this a lot of work.  With no kids at home to help out, we are up at night and running her outside every time she moves (just in case she has to pee--which she always does).  She is a very cute and fun puppy though.  Just forgot how much work it all is! WOW!

A friend at work had a gorgeous baby boy this spring, so I made him this quilt.  My friend is a phys ed teacher and of course loves all sports.  I made embroideries with all little animals playing sports.  I used colors to match the favorite teams of my friend.

I got this backing fabric while on a trip to Amish country in PA!  Even when we did not know if it was a boy or a girl, this was going on the back!  No matter what, this baby would be a Giants fan!

Since it is summer, we have been doing our major top-to-bottom house cleaning!  Of course I am sewing every day too.  Have a few projects going on as we speak.  Being home is something I just love.  I never get bored when I am home since there is always something to clean, cook, sew, read...