What a good hubby!

When we got up, the first thing hubby asked was where the motion sensor light was. We have had it for more than 2 years, and it was supposed to go up at our old house. He put it up this morning at our new house!! Another thing to cross off the honey-do list.

And that's not all!

I tweaked my back, and my dear hubby weed wacked the front yard for me.

And he gave me half of his Hershey bar!

Love that man!

Cathy B

Yardwork

You know, when we lived in northern Minnesota I only had yard work for 3 months of the year. Here in SE Arizona, there is yard work of some sort 12 months of the year.

Good thing I like yard work. It is exercise that changes frequently, and I feel in touch with my roots. (In touch with my roots! I crack me up!)

In 2.5 week we are hosting a luncheon for a bunch of friends and a visiting minister and his family. The inside of the house is pretty good, except for putting up new curtains in the livingroom. (Waiting on hubby to help me put up the rods.) The front yard, however, looks like a very successful weed farm. At least my neighbors are mostly in the same situation.

During and after the monsoon season, the weeds went crazy and I had major fibromyalgia pain. Not a good combo! The weeds are winning! At least they have mostly stopped growing, as the weather is a little cooler.

Today I started spending 15 minutes a day weeding and trimming bushes. That should get a lot done. On the day before the luncheon hubby will go wacky with the weed wacker and rake everything up for me. Yay!

In the midst of this, our son sent back the Lone Star king size quilt he has had for about 10 years. He 'borrowed' off of my bed when he moved out on his own. The front is perfect, but the backing is torn and 'rotted'. I thought it was good fabric, but I guess not. I was going to just put a new backing on it and quilt over the old quilting (wreaths of leaves and roses), but the backing is all wonky, too. Much as I don't want to, I think I may take out all the quilting and treat it as a new quilt top, sandwiching and having it quilted. (I can't quilt big quilts anymore, my shoulders won't take it.)

Sigh. It has been loved for many years. It deserves to be lovely again.

Cathy B

I've been blog hopping.....

and as I have been blog hopping, I have noticed a trend. People are overbusy and overstressed. Many bloggers are so overwhelmed by life that it leaks over into their bloggy live. They don't blog as much as they used to, and some posts seem like a burden.

This seems to be boiling up to a massive information overload, where we can't keep up and don't really WANT to keep up.

What do we do?

I think it all goes back to Thoreau. Simplify, simplify.

Do you really NEED to know what is happening on each blog, by each designer? I don't think so. I have a lot of blogs I follow, but I don't read all of them every day. There is no need. I have a life to live!

Simplifying makes the blogs I do read more enjoyable, not a burden. And I don't feel compelled to post on my blog every day.

Just sayin'.

Cathy B

Finally some pictures!

I just took pictures of a couple of projects. They are taken with my phone camera, and are not very great.

First is the Indian Star block I am using for the 100 HSTs I got in the Pickle Road yahoo group swap. I only had one of the fabrics that were in the swap blocks. Amazing, huh? I made tons more of the HSTs, so I have enough for a small quilt. In the pic you can also see the lime green I am using for the sashing.

I also have posted a photo showing the fabrics I am using for the purple commission quilt I am working on. These are pieces for the pieced border. I will try to post a pic of the actual quilt top tomorrow when I can put it on my bed and use the good camera.



Have a quilty night!

Cathy B

I'm hopeless in the face of fabric!

I did a HST (squares made with 2 triangles) swap on the Pickle Road yahoo group, and got my 100 pieces back this week. I am supposed to be working on a commissioned quilt, but the HST's got to me! I found Indian Star on Quilterscache, which would allow me to use them without re-sizing a block. Soooooo....

I took today as a Pajama Day. I am sewing in my pjs all day (until we go out tonight!) I had to make a lot more HSTs, but it is so much fun! I will post a pic when hubby gets back with the camera.

Wheee!

Cathy B

What a nice Sunday!

I got the napkins and dishcloths and potholders done for my friends' anniversary. They loved them! I never got around to getting pictures taken, though. I will try to take my camera with next time we go to their house.

The dinner turned out wonderfully! We all over ate, it tasted so good. Hubby even like the cake, and he is not a sweets eater! A great time was had by all.

I have changed my mind about the backing for the Purple Quilt commission I am doing. I found backing I like even better, and it is (supposedly!) on its way from the online store. I will let you know what I think when it gets here.

I just had a massage, and am kinda floppy. I don't think I can trust myself with a rotary cutter, but I can iron a little before taking a nap.

Happy Monday!

Cathy B

What have I been doing?

I have been working on a purple quilt. It is a commission for a friend, who is giving it to his wife for their anniversary. I am going to be putting borders on it, but have taken the last 2 days off for another project.

Our closest friends anniversary is on Sunday. They were going to go to New England for a week to celebrate, but she got laid off of her job and the extra money isn't there. Soooooo.....we are having them over for an anniversary dinner on Sunday. Just the 4 of us! I thought of having a party, but I want to be selfish.

I am making them a set of 8 napkins, 2 potholders, and a couple of dishcloths for a gift. They both love to spend time together in the kitchen, and watch Rachel Ray while they cook! A kitcheny gift is just right for them. I will post pics tomorrow.

For dinner I am making Hellman Chicken (recipe below), cranberry sauce, steamed vegies, smashed garlic potatoes, salad, homemade bread, and a Jello Poke Cake for dessert. Yumm!

Hellman Chicken:

4 chicken breasts
Hellman (Best Foods) mayonnaise
1-1 1/2 cups Dry bread crumbs (I crush seasoned dressing mix--the kind you stuff turkeys with)
1/2 cup grated parmesan--the real kind, not the powdery stuff

Preheat oven to 425 degreees. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan in a pie plate.

Put 1/2 to 3/4 cup mayo in a ziplock bag. Put in a chicken breast, squish around until the breast is covered. Place in the pie plate and roll around to cover the chicken with the crumb/parmesan mixture. Place coated chicken on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. There should be enough mayo in the bag to do all 4 breasts.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. Check at 35 minutes to see if the chicken is pink inside. You want to cook it long enough for the pink to disappear. The high temp for cooking makes the crust 'fry' itself.

Yummy!

Cathy B

Retreat weekend

I did get a lot done this weekend! First, I finished the Faux Cathedral Pillows I was working on. I love the button details!

Next, I made a set of potholders for a friend. I had gotten a goody scrap box from Linda on the Stashbuster list. Some of the bits included 2 pieces of knitting chicken fabric, and a large piece of fabric with chickens on plates. I have a friend, Cookie, who LOVES chickens, so these had to be a set of potholders for her. She loves 'em! Thanks Linda!

By the way, I know my photos are in the wrong order, but I don't want to mess with them!

I then made up a bunch of napkins. Our old ones were worn and icky. I will post pics of the napkins tomorrow.

This afternoon I am hitting the Labor Day Sales at Hancock Fabrics. I have a quilt commission, and need some purples. Hopefully we are going out to dinner with friends later.

This has been a good weekend!

Cathy B

A product of the monsoons....

Weeds. Lots of weeds. And, being in southeastern Arizona, weeds that want to hurt you. Prickles, thorns, brambles....I grow 'em all!

Hubby sprayed weed killer, but got too close to my zucchini plants. Grrr! They may make it, but most of the leaves turned brown. Don't get me wrong, the weeds turned brown, too. But it just isn't worth it.

I have taken to soaking the ground for 10 minutes with a little sprinkler, then pulling up the whole weed by the roots. Yay! But I hurt. Really hurt. Makes it kinda hard to sew (or clean for that matter!)

I figure an hour a day would get rid of all the weeds in less than 2 weeks, so I will continue to work on weed abatement. But I have to go out early in the day. I am currently a little too pink for comfort! Hopefully the cooler temps will make it so I don't collapse, and can sew. I have so much stuff I want to sew!

Think of me when you do fibery things!

Cathy B

Working on a Found UFO

Now that I have made a commitment to myself to work on things I love, I have been sorting through boxes. I am sorting the things I love from the things that are 'eh'. In the midst of the sorting I found pieces for 2 pillowtops I worked a little bit on when we lived in Minnesota. They have been entombed for about 3 years, and I didn't even remember that I had them!

They are based on the old Cathedral Windows pattern, but the updated version with circles and squares. You can find my tutorial at: http://www.puppetsandprops.com/BlueJeans.html

The first picture is closer to the actual colors. Deep chocolate brown heathery fleece, and autumny velvet. They are both upcycled fabrics. The fleece was from a thrift store blanket, the velvet from a size 6 skirt from a friend (yeah, like the size 6 was gonna work! lol). In the photo you can see that I have some of the border placed around the pillow top. The border and backing will be chocolate suedecloth that I have JUST enough of to finish!

I was going to finish these and put them in my Gifting Cupboard. DH saw them and claimed them for our sofa. I love it when he feels strongly about what I make!

I am showing these, even though they are not finished. I have taken the Process Pledge (see the button on the right), and want to show things as they go along.

I am fighting a bug of some kind, so will close for now.

Take care!

Cathy B

Sometimes I Just Get So Tired.....

Tired of making things to sell instead of making things for the enjoyment. Tired of making things I don't particularly LIKE to make.

Enough! Enough, I say! (Dramatic, huh?)

After talking with hubby, I have decided to stop. No more making things for etsy or other venues. (Well, I did promise to make a quilt on commission for a friend....but I get to pick everything about it! More about that later.) I will let the items on the venues stay until the end of the year, but I'm not gonna promote or list more items.

I have been making stuff to help out financially. Dear Hubby said it isn't worth it for me to lose my enjoyment of what he calls my 'gift'. He said we should make enough when he finishes another couple of new projects for the business that it won't be necessary. And he said that he needs me to run the office and shipping parts of the business anyway. And I sew the arms and legs for the puppets. And he wants me to be happy.

Boy, I love that man.

So.....expect to see projects that I love instead of what sells. Scary thought, huh?

I have some pics to post, but will get to it tomorrow.

Take care!

Cathy B

OOPS!

If you are interested in any of the books, email me at:

cathy@threadbenders.com

More Destash

I have culled some more books on sewing and quilting. If you are interested, they are:
A Quilter's Companion by Dolores A. Hinson. Softcover, 282 pages. Some wear, my name on a bookplate on title page. All pages firmly in place. $6.00
Quilt in a Day Pioneer Sampler. Softcover, 88 pages. Good condition, cover has mark where price tag was taken off. $6.00
Picture Quilts by Joan Masters. Hardcover, 122 pages. Good condition, dust jacket has a few small tears. $9.00
I am trying to organize everything. Whew, what a job! Organizer Peter Walsh says that you can't have more stuff than you have room for. You can't put 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag! I have WAY more stuff than I have room for. A lot of it is my fibery stuff. I want to make a bunch of stuff for gifts, and I want to finish decorating our new house (moved in April). After that, I need to access what is reasonable to keep.
For every item that comes in, at least one other like item needs to leave. Yesterday I bought the Audrey Hepburn dvd of Sabrina (love it!!), so 4 vhs tapes are leaving. That's a start!

Take care!



Cathy B

Weekend Pillow Sewing

I finished a bunch of pillows this weekend. Yay! They are made from some silkscreen panels I got in the 90's. The design has been percolating in my mind for weeks. I knew I wanted something simple and asymmetrical, and this is what I got!

Sometimes I like working on simple designs. It is a visual break from the crumb blocks I usually like to work on.

Do you find that you need a break from your usual techniques?

Take care!

Cathy B

Inherited Quilt Magazines--Woo hoo!

As promised yesterday, I will tell you about the quilting magazines I am going through. Lots of quilt magazines. MOUNTAINS of quilt magazines.

A dear older friend of mine is at the point, healthwise, that she needs to be by family to take care of her. She is 'gifting' things she isn't going to move. She has been a quilter longer than I have been alive, and has the stash to prove it. I got all of the quilt magazines and quite a few books. I will probably get fabric when her daughter in law comes out next week to help sort stuff.

Now, getting her magazines and some books was great! But wait, there's more! She also had the complete magazine and book stash of a fellow quilter who passed away 3 years ago. And that quilter had complete sets of 8 different quilt magazines, as well as tons of other quilt magazines. 9 big shopping bags, each at the limit of what I can lift. And guess who has them all now.....

I am sorting to fill in my own collections, and the rest will be sold or swapped to other quilter's to fill in their collections. It has been so interesting seeing the history of modern day quilting as it has changed and progressed. And the international quilts!

It has been fun. Thankfully I am keeping less than I am passing on. My dear husband paled when he saw how many bags I was bringing into the house!

Take care!

Cathy B

Truly Baking in this Heat!

Really, I am! A dear young friend made strawberry jam and peach jam. I make killer bread. We traded a loaf for 2 jars! I truly love barter.

The bread I make takes a fair amount of kneading, which I can no longer do because of lack of strength in my hands. I do the mixing and kneading in my bread machine, then plop out the dough to pat and shape. Tastes great, and it has real bread loaf shape, not a weird bread machine shape.

Baking at 425 degrees is kinda icky in this Arizona summer, though. I should have made it last night. Next time!

Well, I have a stack of quilt mags to go through. I will tell you all about it tomorrow!

Cathy B

Re-Post of Artichoke Trio Dishcloth pattern

Artichoke Trio Dishcloth

This is a dishcloth I designed in 2007. It went over quite well! I am quite fond of it.

Artichoke Trio Dishcloth


Dishcloth cotton
Size 6 needles

(MB) means make border—at beginning of row, k1, p1, k1, p1. At end of row, p1, k1, p1, k1
K2tog means k 2 stitches together

Cast on 41 stitches
Work seed stitch for 5 rows--k1, p1, ending with k1

Row 1-(MB) K across to last 4 stitches (MB)
Row 2- and all even rows-(MB) Purl to last 4 stitches (MB)
Row 3- (MB) K across to last 4 stitches (MB)
Row5-(MB) k10, s1k1psso, k2, yo, k5, yo, k2, k2tog, k10 (MB)
Row 7-(MB) k11, s1k1psso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog, k11 (MB)
Row 9-(MB) k12, s1k1psso, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, k12 (MB)
Row 11- (MB) k11, s1k1psso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog, k11 (MB)
Row 13- (MB) k10, s1k1psso, k2, yo, k5, yo, k2, k2tog, k10 (MB)
Row 15-(MB) k11, k2, yo, k2, s2tog as if to knit, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k2, k11 (MB)
Row 17- (MB) k10, k2, yo, k2, s1k1psso, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, k2, k10 (MB)
Row 19- (MB) k11, yo, k2, s1k1psso, k3, k2tog, k2, yo, k11 (MB)
Row 21- (MB) k12, yo, k2, s1k1psso, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, k12 (MB)
Row 23- (MB)k13, yo, k2, s2tog as if to knit, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k13 (MB)
Row 25- (MB) k2 * s1k1psso, k2, yo, k5, yo, k2, k2tog, k3* Repeat from * to *, ending with k2, (MB)
Row 27- (MB) k3 * s1k1psso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog, k5* Repeat from * to *, ending with k3, (MB)
Row 29- (MB) k4 * s1k1psso, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, k7 * Repeat from * to *, ending with k4, (MB)
Row 31- (MB) k3 * s1k1psso, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog, k5 * Repeat from * to *, ending with k3, (MB)
Row 33- (MB) k2 * s1k1psso, k2, yo, k5, yo, k2, k2tog, k3 * Repeat from * to *, ending with k2, (MB)
Row 35- (MB) k3 * k2, yo, k2, s2tog as if to knit, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k7 * Repeat from * to *, ending with k5, (MB)
Row 37- (MB) k2 * k2, yo, k2, s1k1psso, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, k5 * Repeat * to *, ending with k4, (MB)
Row 39- (MB) k3, * yo, k2, s1k1psso, k3, k2tog, k2, yo, k5 * Repeat * to *, ending with k3, (MB)
Row 41- (MB) k4 * yo, k2, s1k1psso, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, k7 * Repeat from * to *, ending with k4, (MB)
Row 43- (MB) k5 * yo, k2, s2tog as if to knit, k1, p2sso, k2, yo, k9 * Repeat from * to *, ending with k5, (MB)
Row 45-(MB) k10, s1k1psso, k2, yo, k5, yo, k2, k2tog, k10 (MB)
Row 47- (MB)k across (MB)
Row 49- (MB) k across (MB)
Work 5 rows of seed stitch—k1, p1, ending with k1
Bind off.

© COPYRIGHT 2007 All Rights Reserved by Cathy Brose-please do not post this pattern to another list, or sell for profit. It is perfectly fine to post the link to this pattern.

As always, feedback is much appreciated. Take care!

Cathy

A Conundrum

I have been having a discussion with my husband about where to sell my wares. I have an Etsy store and an Artfire store. I get tired of the changes, and also tired of being buried in all the listings. I'm certain those of you who sell on these venues know about this.

So, do I stick with them because they bring in traffic, or do my own website to have control? Right before winter shopping is a bad time to be considering this, but it needs to be decided.

Anyway, here is a pic of a purse I am quite fond of:

It is in my etsy store at threadbenders.etsy.com.

Take care, and please comment with your venue opinions.

New Projects!

I have been making potholder sets for my etsy and artfire stores. They are the perfect project when the Southeast Arizona weather is doing its thing. I feel productive while still not having fiber sticking to me!

I hope y'all are enjoying your summer!

Cathy B

Found some yummy eye candy!!

In browsing through etsy I found this store:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/retrofemme?ref=pr_shop

It is about shoes. Beautiful shoes. Wonderful shoes. Fantasy shoes.

Sculptures and pictures.

I need them.

Cathy B

Still unpacking....

I have been doing really well at unpacking boxes from the move. My efforts have been hindered, however, by the fact that my husband has to rewire, insulate and drywall his shop. Everything that was in the shop is now in my livingroom. It looks like I am living in a storage locker!

In theory the shop should be done by Monday, and all of the stuff removed from the livingroom. We will see.

I have been spending more time than usual in the family room in my husband's recliner (if he can take my unpacking space, I can take his recliner!) I am working on a new line of scarves for my etsy store. I want to have a decent stock for winter. Is knitting scarves in southeast Arizona this time of year crazy? Maybe.........

I have also been baking bread. I used to bake bread all the time, but my hands no longer like the kneading process. A friend gave me a bread machine, so I have been experimenting with some of my bread recipes, letting the machine do the mixing and kneading and rising, then I dump the dough out and shape & bake the loaves myself. A nice synergy, I think!

Happy day, all!

Cathy B

Finally moved....kinda

The boxes are not all unpacked, but I've emptied enough that we can conduct our daily lives.

Man, I've got a lot of stuff. And I have been de-cluttering since 2008! I need to do a brutal purge of stuff. I have already pulled almost 100 crafty books and 3 boxes of yarn to either sell or give away. I will keep y'all posted as to what I decide to do.

I spent Friday with my mom and all 3 of my sisters. One sis has a timeshare in Phoenix, so we all drove or flew there to have a Girls' Playday. Lots of food, playing with my baby niece at the park, and hanging out by the pool. Not long enough, but it was so much fun!

The pic above is a lapquilt that one of my sisters made, with me quilting it. She said she got it bound the day she received it back from me. I love it that my sisters quilt and sew and bead and knit. Is it in the genes?

Take care!

Cathy B

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

We are getting ready to move again!! My sister is moving into our mobile home, and we are moving to the house she was living in! And hubby's workshop is moving to the garage at that house. Confusing, yes!

It is only 10 miles between the places, so we figure 1 small moving truck is all we need to rent for the day. And a lot of friends!!!

Contents of shop to house. Contents of mobile to house. Contents of house to mobile.

Sigh.

Sis and I are moving all the boxable stuff in my van, over the next 3 weeks. Or rather, I am moving all the boxes. She has MS and walks with canadian crutches, so can't carry boxes.

Sigh again.

I am looking forward to being in the house, but not the move.

Cathy B

It's not supposed to be this cold!

Okay, we moved from Minnesota to Arizona to get away from the cold. And here we woke up to 9 degrees. Whole neighborhoods without water due to freezing pipes in their homes and in the streets. No one is certain if the pipes have burst.

Thankfully we have water (I left water dribbling in the farthest faucet from the water main), but many others did this and have nothing. A lot of friends will be coming over tonight to take hot showers if their water hasn't started by then. Hope they bring their own towels!!

The ceiling to hubby's workshop fell in. Thankfully the landlord was right on it and should have it fixed today, but no chance of him working on any vent figures. He is at the shop seated in his little recliner with 3 space heaters pointed at him. He's working on his next book (yay! He has been procrastinating on that!)

The picture is of our yard in Minnesota. Beautiful but COOOLLLD!

On a fibery note, I am ironing a bunch of fabric bits to use in crumb blocks. I found 4 bags of scraps I had set aside, and am culling what I want and what is garbage. The ironing puts out a lot of heat, which feels great!

Happy fibery stuff!

Cathy B

Have you seen these?

Have you seen the checkbook covers I make? I love the pen holder on them. You can see them at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/threadbenders

Who says useful can't be beautiful?

Speaking of beautiful, that's my baby girl. What a cutie!

Cathy B

A New Month!

Well, February is here, what did you do in January? On the last day of January I worked on my sewing room. Well, it isn't really a sewing room at the moment, more of a storage locker. And that isn't right!

Yesterday I dragged most of the contents into the living room so I could cull and organize. Most of my stuff is at my husband's workshop/studio (he makes vent puppets for a living), so why is my sewing room so stuffed?

One reason is that I was storing everything horizontally, so I couldn't walk into the room. This made for one reasonable difference: vertical storage. I have some great 12" X 12" X 8" boxes that are sturdy enough for me to stack them 8 high. Fabrics are now stored in there, and the boxes are labeled by color. I even have enough room to snag some more of my fabric from hubby's studio!

Next will be boxing other fibery things in the same boxes. Not certain how to label the categories, though.

Books and mags will be the hardest, but I need to be able to use my room. I'm tired of monopolizing the kitchen table!!

Happy fiber day!

Cathy B

Be Careful!

Hubby and I were at a seminar Saturday. I took my usual pain meds (arthritis and fibro), and a decongestant to ward off reactions to perfumey people. An hour into the program I took a mild muscle relaxer for pain. (The seats were VERY uncomfortable).

Wow! I fell asleep, and when I got up to go to the bathroom I fell down! (Thankfully into the chair.) A friend got a wheelchair for me (still had to pee!), and wheeled me there and back. The doctor at the first aid station checked me and said it wasn't dangerous, but NOT to do it again. I missed almost the entire program, and was not 100% recovered until Tuesday!

Scared my hubby, scared me.

Be careful about combining meds!

I don't remember where I got the pic above. Dover clipart, maybe?

Cathy B

My favorite quilt basting technique

I really like Sharon Schamber's quilt basting technique. I can sit at a table, a plus for my knees! And starching the back makes it slide easily on my sewing machine, and NO PUCKERS!!!

The url is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhwNylePFAA


I really like it, and wanted to share it with y'all!

Cathy B

The pic is Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory. He won a Golden Globe the other night. He cracks me up!!

More projects done!

I was on a dishcloth binge last week. Too much stress to do anything taking brain activity!

These are the easiest knitting I know. Just a diagonal increase and decrease. I keep dishcloth cotton in a bin that I can just grab and knit away. There are a lot of earthy dishcloths because that seems to be what a lot of my friends have in their kitchen.

These make great hostess gifts when we go to dinner, and they have come to expect them! lol

I keep trying to find a day with no outside obligations, but they don't seem to appear! Oh, well, back to carving out time for the projects I want to finish.

Take care!

Cathy B

Did I tell you?

I belong to a yahoo group that is all about using up our 'leftovers' from other projects. Actually, I'm the listmom. The group is Bits and Bobs, and the url is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bitsandbobs/

I am posting links to knit and crochet projects that take less than 150 yards of yarn! It is amazing what you can do with that small amount of yarn.

I will be posting these links for the rest of the year, and beyond that if I can.

Join us if you will!

Cathy B
PS: I love this dishcloth, but can't remember where I got the pic. I will post the link when I find it! ;)

Earache!

I have an earache, so I am working on something mindless and simple--dishcloths. I make a diagonal garter stitch square, work in the ends, and it is done.

I will post pics when I can lean over without pain.

Happy Sunday!

Cathy B

And it goes on.....

This is another fantastic giveaway. I love the quilt pattern she is giving, and the fabrics to make it---wow.

http://straystitches1.blogspot.com/2010/12/lets-celebrate-2011-with-giveaway.html

Yay!

Cathy B

'Nother Giveaway!

This is a great time of year, isn't it? Go here for another giveaway:

http://welovequilting.com/january-give-a-way-2/

Enjoy!

Cathy B

Notice of a great giveaway!!

Leona is having a great giveaway. See details here:

http://oneygirl-myquiltingadventure.blogspot.com/2010/12/lets-ring-in-2011-with-new-bloggy.html


Yay!! Free stuff!!

Cathy B

Got some projects done!!!

Yay! The photo above is Lacy V Scarf, a pattern from Pegg Thomas. You can find it at:

http://www.twinwillowsfarm.com/lacy_v_scarf.html

I got it blocked yesterday. It is made of Woolease, which feels great but does not block as crisply as I like. The scarf looks cool, though, doesn't it?


This is a pic of Allie's quilt. Allie is my baby sister, and she did the piecing on this one. She had some ripples and volcanoes, though, and was not comfortable quilting it. I did an allover squiggle, and you would never know there were any problems. She is gonna do the binding, thus the batting edges.

Off to work on RRCB now!

Cathy B

Goals for 2011

Today is much better than yesterday. I am cooking a meal for the family of my dear friend who died Friday. It feels good to do something concrete to help them. They were at the band practice my hubby had last night, and seemed to enjoy the music (and distraction).

I got about half of my RRCB step 4 done. Hope to finish this step today. I will have to wait until tonight to take pics, as I can't find the cord that goes from the camera to the computer.

As for my goals for the year, I want to finish projects that have been started. Sounds simple, but there are so many!!! I will let y'all know how it goes.

Cathy B

Cuttin' strips for RRCB

Well, hubby is at his jam session. I begged off, 'cause I'm working on a migraine. Those old guys are good, but BOY are they loud. I sent over cookies and mozzarella sticks (the fried kind that you dip in sauce) instead of me. They played a gig a couple of weeks ago for a friend's 35th anniversary. The man who owns the venue asked if he could give their number out, that they were a whole lot better then the people that usually play there. Nice, huh?

Anyway, I'm doing the ol' caffeine treatment to try and curtail the migraine. I will be up 'til all hours, but it usually works for me.

Since I know I will be up late, I am cutting up strips for step 4 of RRCB. I will get some pics of my colors up tomorrow!

Happy Sunday, and don't you look pretty with that migraine aura vibrating around you!

Cathy B

PS: The pic at the top is a 12" square quiltlet I made called Floating City.

RRCB

I haven't kept up with the mystery this time. Spent as much time as I could with a dear friend who died Friday afternoon. It was a release from pain for her, and a deep pain for me.

People are more important than quilts.

I plan on working on RRCB (Bonnie Hunter's mystery for 2010) this next week. I had gotten through step 3, so I still have a LOT to do!!