I Made It!!!

I can't believe it. I have actually blogged for 30 days straight in November for National Blog Posting Month. I have enjoyed blogging everyday and I hope to continue it through December and into the future. I've been able to talk to alot of my new blogland friends, through comments and emails.

"Thank You" to everyone who is helping me make this transition into blogland a smooth one. I am open to helping others out with their blog too, just like Cyndi from bluebirdswing did for me. If you would like me to introduce you and your blog to my followers, please leave a comment and I will check out your blog and email you back. This is a great way to gain followers, as well as new friends.

I look forward to hearing from you!

The Tree is Decorated

One day last week I blogged about having purchased a 4.5 ft tree. It is sitting on a small table in our living room in front of the window. My daughter and I have finally decorated it. The great thing about this tree is that I will wrap it up with a sheet and put it in the building until next year. Then, I will unwrap it and, tah-dah, the tree is already decorated. :)

I bought this tree and a few dozen oraments. I haven't gotten out any of my old decorations, except the candy canes we made last year. The problem was we needed an angel or a star, or something to go on the top. I didn't want to pull out my boxes of Christmas things just for a star. So, we improvised. My daughter had an old Barbie she didn't play with any more. We removed her legs. Put a nice dress on her and used a rubber band around her waist to hold her body to the top of the tree. It's a pretty nice touch. I asked my daughter to come up with something for the top of the tree and this is what she came up with.

You can't tell in the picture, but Barbie looks like she is sitting on the top of the tree.

Recovering

Not much happened today. I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep over the last few days. I did go to the 9am service at church this morning. Then we came home and made lunch. My husband left for work at 1pm and I took a 2 hour nap. :o)

I wrapped a few presents once I woke up and then did nothing the rest of the day. Not that I didn't have anything to do. There is always cleaning to do in my house, but today I chose to ignore it and relax.

Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

All Shopped Out

Thursday night at midnight is when I started my shopping and I didn't finish until around 2pm on Friday. My step-mom and I went all over town on Friday. I think we spent more time standing in lines than we did actually shopping. I got home around 2pm and fell asleep for about 2 hours. My husband got home from work around 4pm and then he wanted to shop. So, I went out again. I had a blast though. It was so much fun.

I told my husband I wasn't going shopping today, but guess what I did. I went shopping, AGAIN. I bought just a few things today. Our Christmas shopping is officially finished. YAY!!!!

How was your day-after-Thanksgiving shopping? Did you find everything you were looking for?

I had a few people asking me about "my baby" after I posted a picture of her the other day. So, I wanted to post a better one of Buffy, my Shih-tzu. Here is a picture of her wanting to play.

How To Make A Rag Quilt

On Wednesday, when I posted pictures of the 2 rag quilts I finished, I said I would tell you how to make them. Well, here are the instructions.

Making a rag quilt is one of the simplest quilts you can make. First, you need to determine how many squares you need to cut from various fabrics. For example, if you make a 25 in. x 25 in. quilt and you use 4.5 in. squares, you will need 49 squares for the top, 49 for the middle and 49 for the back, 147 squares total. You want the front and the back of the quilt to look identical, but the front will be "ragged" and the back will not.

Items needed for 25 in. x 25 in. quilt:

1.5 yards of 100% cotton fabric (You can break this up into .5 yards of 3 different fabrics)

.5 yard of flannel (White is the most popular color of choice, but you can use any color that compliments your cotton fabrics)

rotary cutter and mat

sewing machine

spring loaded scissors

After you have cut all of your squares from the cotton and flannel fabrics, you want to make a fabric "sandwich". Place a flannel square in between two cotton squares of the same color, with the cotton squares right side out on both sides. Piece all of the squares together like this. Then, figure out a design. Just play with the different designs by placing the squares in different positions until you get a design you like. It's easier to do this if you have a large enough table or floor area to spread out all of the pieces. It also helps to take a picture of how you want it laid out with your digital camera. This way you can put it on your computer and see what the quilt looks like in one piece. If you don't like what you see, you can change it before you start sewing.

Once you have determined your quilt design it is time to start sewing. Start in the upper left hand corner of the quilt. Take the first two squares and sew them together, with a 1/4 in. seam allowance, then add the next square. Just make sure as you add each square that you sew the seam out and not in. In a sense, you are sewing each square backwards, not like you usually do to hide the seam. Continue doing this until you have all rows complete. Then, it's time to sew the rows together. Start at the top again and put the rows back to back and sew them together, making sure you line up each square. As you get to the seams, instead of ironing the seams to one side or the other, it is easier to sew them open. Continue until the quilt it sewn together. Next, sew all around the edge of the quilt also using a 1/4 in. seam allowance. Again, when you get to the seams, sew them open.

Now begins the fun part. It's time to "rag" the quilt. This part is easier if you have spring loaded scissors, but regular scissors will do, just be prepared for a sore hand for the next 2-3 days. Go around the quilt and cut all of the seams every 1/4 in., making sure you do not cut the thread as you go around. This gives you the "rag" effect. Once the whole quilt has been cut, go outside and shake your quilt to get all of the loose pieces off. Now it's time to wash your quilt. It will "rag" better if you wash the quilt with another item like a towel, then dry both the quilt and towel together. Before putting the quilt in the dryer, go outside again and shake out the quilt. This will get rid of the loose pieces of flannel so they do not collect in your dryer. Once dry, you are all finished. Just remember, the more you wash your quilt, the softer and more "ragged" it will become.

Happy Quilting!

We all have so many things to be thankful for. This year I'm thankful for my husband and my daughter. I'm thankful that the Lord has saved me and I will one day be in Heaven with Him. I'm thankful for my new blogland friends. I'm also thankful for my husband's new job. I know I could name many more things I'm thankful for, but I know you would rather be with your own family than listening to me ramble on. :)


I hope you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Rag Quilts...Finished

I finished the 2 rag quilts for one of my customers. They are both really cute, but I think my favorite is the pink & brown one. They are approximately 36 in. x 36 in.






If you have never made one of these, they are sooo easy and they make great gifts for the little ones in your life. I will be describing in detail how to make these quilts in a later post.

My Baby

For the last 2 days, I have taken "my baby" to work with me. This is how we spent the day today, with her sleeping on me most of the day. She is the sweetest dog ever.

I Won...Again

Miracles do happen. :) A couple of weeks ago, on Veteran's Day, I won the mini-cupcakes. The following Monday I received an email from Natalie at Beyond The Reef and I had won these amazing fabrics.

This is 15 fat quarters and 2 one-third pieces from the Woodland collection by Lori Mason.

O Christmas Tree

Not much happened today, except that I put my tree up after I got home from church this afternoon. It's not decorated yet, but it's up. I'm not big on putting up a Christmas tree. I love them, I just hate putting them up and decorating them. So, this year I've done something different. I bought a 4.5 ft pre-lit tree. I am going to put decorations on it. Then, after Christmas I am going to find an old sheet and I'm going to wrap it up really good and take it out to our storage building behind our house. Then, next year, all I will have to do is unwrap it and it's already decorated. Is that lazy or what? LOL I prefer to say that I am saving valuable time during the holidays. The time I would normally be decorating, I can use to shop. :)

So, what are some crazy things you've done during the holidays to save time?

Holiday Open House

Today I set up two tables at a Holiday Open House that a friend of mine was hosting. I had a table for my Clever Container business and one for my BeautiControl business. We had so much fun talking, eating, shopping and eating some more. My husband even went with me. We were there for 5 hours. He was so sweet to do that for me, sitting there that long in a house full of women.

I was able to purchase 2 more Christmas gifts today while at the Open House and 2 more later at Target. So, all that is left is my mom and my mother-in-law. What to get them? Hmmmmmm. I'm not really sure yet. My goal is to finish shopping before Black Friday - we'll see.

By the way, we had a great time at the UFO party last night. I did not get a quilt finished, mostly because we did more talking than sewing. Did I really expect it to be any different? Not really. :o)

Fabric

Yesterday I went fabric shopping for the 2 rag quilts I have to make for a customer. The good thing is that I "shopped" from my stash first and only had to buy 2 pieces of fabric instead of 6.

I only had to buy the pink fabric in this set...

and the purple in this one.

Tonight I'm going to to my aunt's house and she and my other aunt are having a UFO party. So, I'm taking these 2 new quilts to see how much I can get done. This is the first time we have done this and I'm very excited. If it works out okay, we are planning on doing this at least once a month.

Maybe, I'll be able to show you at least one finished quilt tomorrow.

p.s. That's a BIG maybe :)

Just A Reminder

I will be doing a giveaway once I reach 50 followers. We're not that far off. So, tell your friends and ask them to follow. I am still deciding on what I want to give away, but I will give you hints as we get closer to 50.

Flower Rag Quilt

It's finished!!! Yay!!! Today I finished the flower rag quilt I mentioned a week or so ago.

I usually only make rag quilts for special orders, but I have been wanting to make this one for a while. So, I will be putting in my Etsy shop sometime tomorrow if anyone is interested. I have pictures there of the other rag quilts I have done (a butterfly, turtle and dinosaur).

I had someone come in today and order 2 small rag quilts for Christmas. My plan is to go shopping for the fabric tomorrow. I love shopping for fabric, especially with someone else's money. :o)

A Blah Day

It's been raining now for 2 days. Of course, we do need the rain, but it makes everyone feel blah. I'm also not feeling so well. I think I have the beginnings of a cold. However, I did get some of my flower rag quilt sewn together. It should be finished this week, hopefully tomorrow. I will definitely post pictures as soon as it's finished.

Sorry there isn't anything more to talk about. I'm headed to bed to get some rest.

Until tomorrow...

Embroidery

I was able to get some embroidery done today at work. These are Christmas gifts that customers have purchased.

This is a pajama top with a cowboy roping a calf embroidered on it.

These are Stephen Joseph aprons that we sell in our shop. I have embroidered these for 2 little girls. We also have small cooking sets that go with them. (I forgot to take a picture of them). They include a matching oven mitt, mixing bowl, rolling pin and wooden spoon.

Are You Ready?

Christmas is 41 days away...AHHHHHHH! Unfortunately, this year I am not making any gifts. Everything will be purchased. My daughter wants a computer, my dad is getting tools, my husband wants shoes and the rest I'm just not sure about at the moment.

My husband and I have been trying to go every weekend for the last month and buy at least one Christmas gift. I'm trying to get it all done before Black Friday so I can go shopping that day for ME! :o) That way I don't have to worry about fighting for that "deal" to give as a gift.

I'm down to needing 4 gifts and I should be done. Of course, there is always that last minute gift for someone you forgot or for someone who gives you an unexpected gift and you feel you should give them something in return. So, are you finished with your Christmas shopping. Have you even started? Are you a last minute shopper or were you finished in July? :)


p.s. I hope you enjoyed one of Newspring's church services today. If not, there is always next week (hint, hint) :o)

I'm Inviting You

I'm going to take this time to invite you to my church tomorrow. Yes, I know that most of my blogland friends do not live near me. Thanks to the power of the internet, we can still attend church together. My church, Newspring, is doing a series on marriage. This is week 5 of a 7-week series called Man vs. Wife. Are we fighting IN our marriage or FOR it? Tomorrow's message focuses on the wife.

You can watch it live online from anywhere with a broadband internet connection at 9:15 am, 11:15 am, 4 pm and 6 pm (the same service each time). If you like what you see, you can go back and play past messages. I have really enjoyed Newspring and I hope you will join me.

Nancy's Notions

I had a friend introduce me to Nancy's Notions this week. You can shop online or through their catalog. I haven't ordered anything from them yet. I am waiting for my catalog to come in the mail. I would rather see it in print in front of me than on a computer screen. They have a variety of sewing/quilting supplies, patterns, embroidery designs, fabric, books, etc.

Here is what I found the most interesting...They sell the Accuquilt GO! Cutter for $299.00 with FREE shipping. You get different dies if you buy one from Accuquilt directly, but it is definitely worth checking out since it is $50.00 cheaper.

Has anyone out there ever heard of or had any experience with Nancy's Notions?

I Finally Won Something

I can't remember winning anything in my life. Now, my mom and sister on the other hand, they win things all the time. For example, concert tickets, spa treatments, $1000, etc. Well, today that all changed. Look at what I won!




30 mini cupcakes...and they are soooo good!!!!

There is a local business, Holly's Cakes, who periodically does giveaways on Facebook. She will post a trivia question and the first person with the right answer gets some kind of cupcakes. Today happened to be a variety pack. There is Strawberry, Red Velvet, Orange and Hummingbird (tastes like banana nut).

Now if only I could win an Accuquilt GO! Cutter, then I would really consider myself lucky. :o)

Self Binding Blanket

Natalia from Piece N Quilt has a great tutorial for self-binding blankets. Here is one that I did a couple of months ago.



Front - Red flannel w/ yellow, green & blue dots


Back - Blue Mickey Mouse Flannel


Close-up of the back.


These blankets are really simple to make. I also have the fabric to make one for a girl. It's on my LONG list of things to do.


p.s. This is in my Etsy shop for sale if anyone is interested.

A Day Off

Today I didn't have to work, so I didn't get anything crafty done. I know that sounds backwards, but I actually get to do my sewing while I'm at work. I own a tanning salon and right now it's our slow season. So, while there are hardly any customers, I sew.

I finally got some laundry done today and actually made supper for my family. :) We sat down at the dining room table (usually covered with crafts or fabric) and had dinner together. We are bad about eating in the living room in front of the TV.

Right now I'm watching Biggest Loser and knitting. I don't know much about knitting, except for a basic stitch. I get bored with it easily so I keep this by the couch and when I'm watching TV I will knit a couple of rows. One year, I mean day, I will finally finish this. I "think" it will be the size of a small baby blanket. Of course, I'm not really sure.

Making Progress

I have finally sat down long enough to cut out the flannel for my flower rag quilt. Here is a picture of the pattern, only I have used different fabric.


I'm using the same fabric that I used for the Dresden plate that I made a couple of weeks ago. Today I cut out the flannel and made the "fabric sandwiches". Over the next couple of days I will mark the quilting and then sew the pieces together.



I finally feel productive today since I get to post a project that I'm working on. Hopefully, it won't be another month (or more) before I can show you the final results.

Thank You!!!

Thank you so much to everyone for the encouraging words and to Cyndi for introducing me to her friends. I've enjoyed reading and answering all of your comments. Now I'm going to sit down and check out all of your blogs.

Isn't technology great?! Who would have ever thought that we would be sitting at our computers in our own homes, talking to people all around the world. I look forward to getting to know my new friends and sharing sewing/quilting tips and secrets.

I hope you all have had a great weekend!

Fall Festival

Today I got up at 5 a.m. (yes, it is Saturday and yes, I know I'm crazy for doing it). Today is the day that my sister and I set up a table at a local fall festival to sell our Cup-O-Cakes. Saying it was cold this morning is an understatement. At 9 a.m. it was 38 degrees, so I can only image how cold it was when we started setting up at 7 a.m. Here are 2 pictures, one of me, then one of my sister as we bundled up against the cold.

I'm on the left, my sister on the right.

I just noticed the guy in the background of my picture is wearing shorts :-O What was he thinking!!! We couldn't feel our toes for the first couple of hours!

This was our table. Very simple. There is the jar of candy corn everyone was talking about. We were having everyone guess how many pieces were in the jar. Can you believe it was 2,619? That's a lot of candy corn!

Here are a few random shots of the festival. I didn't have much time to walk around and take pictures but I did get a few.

There was a tractor parade :)

Train for the kids.

This is one of the many things that we ate today. You wouldn't believe the food. Okay, maybe you would. I wish I had gotten a picture of all the food we did eat. This funnel cake was so big that my sister and I shared it and we still couldn't eat it all!

I had a great time with my sister today and I hope you had someone to spend your Saturday with.

Until tomorrow...

p.s. There is an Accuquilt GO! Cutter giveaway at Lavender Ridge. The deadline to enter is November 10th.

Holiday Shopping/Girl's Night Out

Today I spent the day getting ready for a vendor fair that we had this evening and a local fall festival that happens tomorrow. I set up a table showcasing my Clever Container company tonight. There were 9 vendors in all at a friends house and we all invited people that we knew. We had a great time and it was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow at the fall festival, my sister and I will be selling our Cup-O-Cakes (cupcakes in a jar). We have make 240 cupcakes in just a couple of days. We have had a really good response to them since we started this business about 6 weeks ago. You can visit us on our Facebook page if you would like some information about it.

We are having a giveaway at the festival as well. We are going to give this huge (that's and understatement) jar of candy corn to the person who can be the closest to guess how many pieces of candy are in the jar. This should be fun!

We put a Diet Coke can next to it to give you an idea of how big it really is.

Again, nothing "crafty" happened today, just everyday life. I will post pictures of the festival tomorrow. You never know what you will find there.

Until tomorrow...

New Look!

I've changed the look of the blog. It was orange with some crazy designs as the background. Now I think it's more pleasing to the eye.

For those of you who don't really know much about me, I figure it's time to tell you a little about myself. I have been married for 12 years. I have a beautiful 9-year-old daughter who is always keeping me on my toes. I own a tanning salon and embroidery business here in town. We have been doing tanning for over 6 years and embroidery just over 1 year. I have really enjoyed doing embroidery. I also like to be involved in multi-level marketing companies. For example, I am a consultant for both BeautiControl and Clever Container. Later this month I am planning on becoming a consultant for Scentsy wickless candles. I love being a part of these companies and being able to meet so many different people.

Even more than selling though, I have a love affair with fabric. I LOVE fabric!!!! My husband says it's my addiction. I tell him if this is the only thing I'm ever addicted to, then I'm doing good. :) I taught myself how to sew in 2003 while he was overseas in Iraq. Two years ago I decided to start quilting. I had been seeing all of these quilters online, wishing I could do what they do. One day, I just decided to try and I've been hooked ever since. It's still a work in process, but you never learn if you don't try.

I'm hoping this blog will be information for you and maybe humorous at times. I know there are many wonderful people out there in blogland and I can't wait to get to know many of you.

Until tomorrow...happy quilting!

Giveaway...Soon!

I want to do a giveaway. The problem is that I have no idea how many people actually read by blog, seeing as I only have 1 follower (my sister, but she doesn't count). Sorry sis. I'm going to work on what I want to giveaway once I get 50 followers. I know most people have giveaways once they reach 100 followers, but I'm impatient and I like giveaways. So, think you can help me with this?

Follow me and tell your friends about me. I know my blog is really just starting, but I'm hoping to build it up to where I'm showing you different sewing/quilting/crafting projects all the time. Once we reach 50, it's giveaway time!




Obviously, this picture has nothing to do with the above post. This is my niece. I just can't stand to have a post without a picture. Enjoy!

Already Struggling

OK. This is only day 2 and already I've been so busy today that I didn't blog. So, here I am, just in time. My sister and I are taking our Cup-O-Cakes to a local fall festival this Saturday and we started making them today. We finished 2 dozen jars of Chocolate Overload and 2 dozen jars of Coconut before I had to leave to take my daughter to karate. We have 7 more dozen to make before Saturday morning.

I haven't done any sewing or anything crafty today. I did get a chance to collect some acorns to make a wreath. I haven't collected enough yet, but I plan on getting more next week. Dana from MADE has a great tutorial here for making these wreaths. You should check it out! This is a picture of her wreath below.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be more productive than today.

November is here!

Can you believe it? This year has flown by sooooo fast.

Well, today I start blogging every day for 30 days. It's part of the NaBloPoMo challenge. Most weeks I'm luckly to post twice, so this will definitely be a challenge for me. The good thing is, I am working on a few projects that I will be able to show you. So, at least I have a few productive things to blog about :)

Until tomorrow....Happy Sewing!