Monday Mania!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I so love our Monday sewing days!!!   The company is great, the location is excellent and it is even better when we have FOOD!!!!   Yesterday was our pot luck and well - there was loads of food.

But first - let's see some show n tell...........


Claudette is on a mission!  She has participated in a LOT of the $10 quilts at The Hobby Horse. Like myself - she never seemed to quite get them done. BUT she is working her way through them.  Here is ONE more top - DONE.

Cabin in the Woods - quilt top done!!!!   Claudette added a few extra borders to make a large quilt!!!   Original pattern by Possibilities.    I have TWO of these started and well - as we focus on applique this coming year - I should get my butt in gear and get working on finishing up some applique quilts.  Plus I need the space that these quilts are taking on the shelf!!!!

Now - just because she is working on finishing up stuff - doesn't mean she doesn't want to start new things. Here is her Chubby Charmer bag - DONE!!!!!!!

Chubby Charmer!!!

Look at the fancy stitching on the top of the pocket

AND the fancy stitching on the outside!!!!

I think everyone, well almost everyone finished those Chubby Charmers from the class last week.  My biggest problem - I have ideas for about THREE more bags and embellishments for the bags. Maybe I will work on that this afternoon.

Mary S was putting on a binding. Recognize that fabric????   Shasta by the ladies at The Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw. 

Judith was finishing up the embroidery on two wall hangings for her daughters. 

Here are both of them - DONE!!!!!!   And you should see Judith's raw edge applique. She just drops those feed dogs and goes for it.  I tell you - she bought a new machine a while back and I don't think she regrets it one bit. She is having loads of fun!!!!

I know that Jan was working on Clue Three of Bonnie Hunter mystery, but she wasn't done so I didn't want to take a picture and then when we get together again - it will be over!!!!   I'll show you her finished top.


We all get so much done at Monday. I wouldn't miss that day of the week for anything!!!!!   I am working on a customer quilt. It is a dress that I spent the entire day ripping apart. Joyce asked me why I ripped out the stitching rather than cutting away the seams. Well - I am frugal and I might need every scrap of fabric!!!!   Plus it is pretty therapeutic to rip!!!!!   I forgot to take a picture of the dress before I ripped it apart but I will show you the pieces before I cut them up.

Then it was onto the FOOD!!!!!

All the main stuff got put into the kitchen. So nice to have access to a kitchen - a big spacious kitchen. I made squash soup and rather than worry about putting it in a crock pot to keep warm - I just warmed it up on the stove.   YES - I made the soup on Sunday.  I didn't mind because as I was preparing it - I was listening to my audio book!!!!!  

Part of the goodies!!!!

I have to show you these cookies made by Mary V.   An absolute hoot.

These are the PATCHWORK stockings. 

And these are the UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER cookies!!!!    What fun!!!!!

Mary - thanks so much for sharing those cookies with us. I know they took tons of time and we gobbled them down pretty fast - but we have pictures to remember them by.  And yes - they were very YUMMY!!!!!

Joyce was lucky enough to sit at the goodie table!!!!   

 I have been working on the long arm as well. No rest - as quick as I get the quilted quilts out the door - MORE come in!!!!  I don't know how that happens and two long arm quilters have moved out of the area recently. Yikes - I might have to get really serious about this business.

Customer quilt done!

Got two more quilts done as well - but alas - I forgot to take pictures and they are gone!!!!!

Charity quilt - DONE

Tried out a new pattern on the above quilt - a little weird to stitch out, but no mistakes. And it is fun and whimsical. I like it!!!

I try to get to bed by 10 PM and last night I was in bed at the usual time. However I was excited to get up and get back to work on the Storm at Sea. Then when the alarm goes off at 5 - I am tired!!!   But I got up and made major progress on the quilt.

The left half of the quilt is totally together. One quarter of the right half is together.  

Made progress on piecing the bits!!!!

And there are days when I wonder why I never get anything (or much done). Yesterday was one of those days. I unloaded the car from Monday and brought everything down stairs.

Three bags to sort and put away. So I spent a bit of time - putting things away, doing e-mails, sorting and getting things back where they belong. Because if I don't - we will have a MAJOR clutter problem and I don't want that!!!!!

And I received a donation of fabric the other day.  Some odds and ends - mostly upholstery stuff. It will make great bags. I think I am about done on getting fabric donations. I now have boxes that have to be dealt with and no more time!!!!!

While I was doing some tidying - I decided it was time to use my new toy. I have had this for a while. Won't even say how long - but it's been a while.  No idea if there is still a manual or software around. So I plug it into the computer to see what happens.  And a few seconds later - the drawing tablet by WACOM is ready to go.  Basically it replaces a mouse, but I am hoping to use it to edit photos. It is supposed to be much more sensitive than a mouse.

Drawing tablet

I did edit one of the above pictures using it.  Yikes - let's just say that it was like trying to draw a straight line while being severely intoxicated (not that I know what that state of being is!!!).   I think there might be a bit of a learning curve!!!   But I already like how much easier it was to edit that background out of Mary's quilt. A lot smoother lines as well.


Tish is a pretty creative person!  And she was talking about these little books that she recovered.  Of course - we all got excited, but couldn't really understand what she was talking about. Then she showed us a picture on her iPhone. Oh yes - I got really excited then. And then yesterday - she brought some in for us.  Now I am VERY EXCITED.   These little books - are so fabulous and she did an amazing job on them.  I LOVE IT!!!!!   The book looks very professional which is appropriate since she is a PROFESSIONAL CREATIVE  GENIUS!!!!!   Thanks Tish.

Tish's recovered book!!!!

 And Susan was recently in Vienna (how nice!).  Anyway look at what she brought back for me.

A bag of pasta - but not just any old past - NO - have a closer look...............

BICYCLE pasta!!!!

How cool is that!!!!!!!    Can you imagine if we had this kind of pasta on our bike trips?  That would be awesome!!!!


Well - on that note, I had better get myself off to work.  Today is the LAST class of 2014.  The same class - three times in one day!!!!   I love this class though and the participants are so eager to learn - it is loads of fun.   This is Quilting Inspirations at Ruti's Needlebed.

And then for the rest of the day?  Well - who knows what project will pop off the table and into my hands when I get back home.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!