...isn't it funny how life just seems to get in the way of everything sometimes?...not really funny but that's the only way i know how to word it...

...i had a ball with jane and elaine during my visit last week...but poor jane got sick on thursday and wasn't able to do anything with me and elaine on friday...

...and now little rase is sick again with pneumonia/ear infections, my boo is scheduled to have her tonsils out december 11 (a blessing!) and mr. paisley's mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer...=(...

...thanksgiving is coming and then christmas...and i have a ton of stuff to do...quilts to be made, quilts to be quilted and bound, other gifts to make, pillowcases to finish, mrs. nichols' prep work to do, bee inspired blocks to finish, a pattern to test and gosh, i'd still like to paint the inside of this house and kinda redo a few things...

...isn't it funny how to-do-lists just seem to go on and on sometimes?...lol...for you, too, i'm sure...

...so i'm going to step away from blogging for now...not forever, i hope...maybe just until after the first of the year...my heart's just not in it so much anymore and most days?...it just feels like i don't have a whole lot to contribute and i hate that...

...BUT guess what?...i'll still follow all of your blogs because that's something i enjoy so, so much...♥...

...what to say, what to say?...enjoy the rest of 2009 - the holidays and all the fun stuff...take care of yourselves...thank you for everything...and i'll see you again sometime, okay?...☺...



(p.s. comments closed on this one...just because...hope you understand)

...i am so excited...guess why?...i am taking off tomorrow morning, driving a few hours north and meeting a couple of blog friends for the first time!...jane, elaine and i are getting together for a couple of days and i can't wait!...☺...

...the three of us were supposed to meet at the des moines quilt show a few weeks ago but had to cancel due to that darn flu...but we promised to make other plans and we did!...

...tomorrow will be lunch, shopping (tammy tadd's anyone?) and supper and then on friday?...there is a quilting/sewing expo in the area!...i've been to lots of quilt shows but never a quilting/sewing expo - i'm really anxious to see what it's like...after the expo, a quick trip to ikea and then i head home...

...i usually pack too much for trips...even little ones like this...but after elaine sent me the vendor list for the expo (i printed it out to show mom and it's 5 full pages of vendor-goodness!)?...i think i've narrowed down what i'm going to take - would you mind looking at my list and telling me if you think it will be sufficient for 2 days of fun?...:

1. fresh pair o' undies
2. mr. paisley's gold card

...yep, that oughta do it...;)...enjoy the rest of your week and weekend and i'll see you next week with pics of our adventure?...

...jane and elaine?...can't wait to meet you!...thank you for making this happen...♥

...happy saturday, everyone!...wow, the weather here is so pretty today!...☺...i've got just a few things to share with you...

...do you remember me telling you about dad and his wife and their italy/greece cruise?...mr. paisley and i went to dad's for supper thursday night and just look at my souvenirs from their trip!...this GORGEOUS italian lace pin cushion...(can you believe the paisley bag my gifts were in?!)...:

...handmade by an elderly woman...the detail is amazing...(i just don't think i can bear to stick her with pins so i'll find a special place in my sewing room to hang her)...:

...this beautiful handmade italian lace doily...:


...and this wood inlay wall hanging...it was made by a 5th generation wood worker using tools his great-great-grandfather used...all hand cut and sanded and stained...i love it!...:


...mom and i went to a few craft shows/sales yesterday morning...i don't know about you, but i just love rag rugs...finding cute, colorful, well-made ones is kinda tough though - so i was thrilled to find these at one of the craft shows...:

...they're made with strips of kids' sheets so they're all bright and happy...:

...plus machine washable...:



...see the fringe?...the lady who makes the rugs loads her loom with all of those different colors of threads that then kinda form stripes over the sheet strips throughout the rugs...i love them!...:

...the top rug is for my sewing room and the bottom (2) for my kitchen...and i'm going to order more!...the lady's prices are really quite reasonable - i got all three rugs for $55.00 and the middle one?...it's 4 feet long!...she also weaves really cool bags...with braided handles that are woven through the bodies of the bags to make them super strong...and the colorful fringe is all along both sides of the bag...gosh darn it, it almost makes me want to get a loom!...☺...

...i'm almost finished with my (3) dozen pillowcases for jacquie...and am still working on little christmas gifts for friends...kaleidoscope will be quilted soon and i bought a quilt kit from keepsake quilting for paisley step-son #2's christmas gift...plus i have a pattern to test for stephanie...☺...when i finally get caught up with things?...i want to tackle this house...painting, redecorating a bit, just really spending the winter doing things to make it all nice and fresh feeling again...

...i've kinda gotten away from blogging every single day, but i've noticed a lot people have...everyone's just really busy right now, huh?...and that's okay...so maybe i'll just see you 2 or 3 times a week from now on, okay?...that sounds doable and maybe even more enjoyable than what sometimes feels like pressure to come up with a neat post every single day...☺...

...have a great weekend!...

...this is what i see every single time i sit down at my computer...isn't it great?...☺...:

...i wasn't expecting anything special in the mail, but look what came for me today!...the card says 'just made me think of you' and that's it...can you imagine?...it's from dear jane and has totally made my whole day...i love, love, love the paisleys and guess what else?...i love, love, love that they're something different than purple!...thank you, jane!...☺...:

...thought i would share a couple of quilts mom recently made for a couple of her customers...this one is all alaskan fabrics and batiks...the customer's daughter lived in alaska for awhile and the customer bought all of the fabrics on a visit to her...it's a bit busy (even for me), but the customer was thrilled and the quilt will bring back great memories for years to come, huh?...:

...and this one is for a harley fiend...☺...lots of harley t-shirts...he loved it, too!...good job, mom!...:


...i just got back from mrs. nichol's house - i've now returned (3) of her (5) projects...(2) to go!...i'm getting my haircut in a little bit (always scary cuz you just never know) and my boo and little rase will be here for a few hours later this afternoon which is super - it's nice here today and papa paisley and i are really wanting to play outside...☺...

...enjoy your day!...

...another sunny day...what a treat...we had over 13" of rain here in october so seeing the sunshine again is great!...☼...

...thank you for all your kind comments on sparkle yesterday...and on my new design wall, too!...several people told me it gave them some ideas for their own design wall...i'm glad!...here's another pic of it with my sewing room door open...i think it will work just fine...i can always close that door plus move the futon out a little bit when i need to...another idea for you?...mom hung her design wall over a double closet door in her sewing room and is going to add a sleeve to the bottom of it...then insert a dowel rod in the sleeve and she will be able to roll the design wall up and out of the way when she needs to?...clever, huh?...:

...i have (22) out of 3 dozen (my goal) pillowcases completed for jackie's hole in the wall gang project...i love all the different color combos...:


...good grief, pillowcases are wrinkly little rascals, aren't they?...seriously, all of these really have been washed and ironed...but also folded up in bags in my closet, too, waiting to send to jackie...surely they'll still be okay?...:



...i know my neighbors think i'm nuts when i'm out arranging things and trying to get a good blog-photo-shoot going...☺...:


...okay, now i'm just being silly...really?...if i spent as much time working on ufo's as i do on taking blog pics?...i'd be caught up by now!...☺...:

...enjoy your tuesday and i'll see you tomorrow...

...good morning!...hope you all had a wonderful weekend!...☺...

...guess what i got?...a design wall!...no more crawling around on a design floor!...mom and i both ordered these design walls from keepsake quilting - they're 72 x 72 pieces of...well, i'm not sure what they are...but they're more substantial than batting or flannel, don't have a seam in them and they're not stretchy at all...it was tough to find a 72 x 72 space of free wall in my little sewing room so mr. paisley mounted a rod for me halfway between my closet doors and sort of behind the door to the room...:

...i sewed a binding along the top of the design wall fabric so my clips would have something to hold on to and then hung it up...and when i need to get into my closet?...i can just slide the wall out of the way kinda like a curtain...cool, huh?...(i'm in the process of redoing my sewing room and the futon will probably go even though it's handy to set stuff on...i'm also still planning on repainting this room and the rest of the house...good winter projects, huh?)...:

...and guess what else?...sparkle is done!...all quilted and bound and washed and crinkly and puckery...☺...:

...can you believe we have sunshine today?...:

...i chose loopy all over quilting and it almost looks like flames against the brighter colors...:





...perfect!...☺...:

...enjoy your day...we have the grandbabies this afternoon and i'm still making pillowcases...my goal is to send jackie (3) dozen (mom's been helping) for her hole in the wall gang project...and i'm almost there!...see you tomorrow!...

...yeep!...long time, no blog, huh?...and i feel horrible about it...but mr. paisley and i have been sick...and while we weren't officially diagnosed with the swine flu?...i'm almost positive that's what we've had...i'm finally feeling better and mr. paisley is getting there...he's just a couple days behind me in the whole flu thing (i tried to tell him if he continued to smooch on me, he'd for sure get sick, but he insisted...☺☺☺)...so on to better things at last!...

...can you believe i won carrie's blog anniversary giveaway?...my package arrived this week and it was full of the most wonderful things from carrie...:

...a darling pumpkin pin cushion, an awesome needle-punch tin, an adorable stitched button bag and the cutest candy corn needle book...:

...isn't the needle book's lining fabulous?...inside the needle-punch tin, carrie included some vintage glass buttons, thread, lace trim, the sweetest little rick rack and a couple of great quilt labels...and inside the stitched button bag?...an assortment of buttons including vintage ones from her collection...what treasures!...and it means so much that she would share them with me...:



...can you believe this apron?????!!!!!...it is absolutely gorgeous!...i can't imagine cooking in it...but it was made to be worn and loved and so it will be...☺...:



...paisley!...:


...all of my wonderful goodies were wrapped beautifully and carrie even included the left over charm squares from the apron for me...also in the package?...an autumn applique pattern for me to try!...carrie?...wow, thank you so much for the things you sent me...your work is impeccable and your generosity blows my mind...i am truly thankful to have you for a friend!...♥...

...i was lucky to be feeling better enough to go to my boo's preschool halloween party this week...have you ever seen a more beautiful kitty cat???!!!... (cathi? - this one's for lester and smudge...☺)...:

...my boo and her best friend, who was dressed up as a safari girl...:

...(20) little 4-and-5-year-olds all dressed up for halloween...i nearly died from the cuteness of it all...:

...i just have to include this pic from my boo's preschool trip to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago - it's one of my favorites!...boo let little rase go along on her field trip and he had a ball!...just look at his little face peeking through - it absolutely kills his daddy that he's chosen a PINK pacifier as his favorite but i think it's a hoot!...little rase knows for sure that real men wear pink!...☺...:

...so with that?...HAPPY HALLOWEEN and see you next week!...

this weekend's guest blogger is alex trebek...

with a little jeopardy fun for you...

alex: bronchitis, ear infections, fever, sore throats, incessant coughing and runny noses with a little intestinal distress thrown in (for good measure) causing frequent trips to the bathroom.

p & p: buzzzzz!

alex: p & p?

p & p: alex, what's happening in the paisley household?

alex: that is correct!

...ugh...never, never, never announce grand plans re: getting a whole bunch of stuff done - or you'll jinx yourself like i did...=(...

...so much crud going around everywhere...take care of yourselves and i'll see you when i feel better...

...yikes...the weather man swore we would see sun this week, but monday has started out dreary and gray and drizzly...=(...

...i got some things accomplished this weekend which always feels good...both of mrs. nichols' one block wonder quilts are cut and ready to take back to her...:

...doesn't mrs. nichols choose the most gorgeous fabrics?...:


...(9) repeats are done on ripple...i had to go buy more yarn - can you believe i've already crocheted through (7) 377-yard skeins?...that's a lot, huh?...double crochet uses a ton of yarn...:

...i'm thinking (7) more repeats will do it plus a single crochet border of about (5) rounds...ripple's colors confuse my poor camera, but she is so pretty in person...☺...:

...and i've been working on little christmas gifts to send to some of my blogger friends and to have on hand 'just in case'...here's a little sneak peek...:

...i have a to-do-list a mile long...just like you, i'm sure...

...(2) more quilts to cut and prep for mrs. nichols...
...quilt, bind and launder kaleidoscope and sparkle...
...finish ripple...
...continue to make little christmas gifts...
...make quilt for paisley step son #2 for christmas (by request...how flattering is that?...☺)...
...finish a secret bday gift within the next couple of weeks...
...make (2) blocks for bee inspired...
...get my fabrics together for bee inspired november...
...and on and on and on...some stuff i can't even remember but i know it needs to be done!...

(...plus i'm taking off for a couple of days later in october to meet a couple of blogging friends for the first time at a quilt show near here...i can't wait!...☺...)

...so i'm going to take a bit of a blogging break this week...and just enjoy what you're doing, okay?...enjoy your week!

more women's circle magazine stuff, circa 1960's

...it's terribly dreary here today...rain, rain, rain...:

...a dreary day for a dreary time - poor little rase has pneumonia!...plus my boo is just getting over the croup...i hate it when the babies are sick...grandmas always want to make things all better, you know?...=(...

...i spent yesterday morning sewing with mom...she gave me a burrito pillowcase lesson so now i can make some to donate to jackie's hole in the wall gang project...a couple down, many more to go...lots of fun for a wonderful cause!...☺...:

...i was tickled with how many comments i got on my women's circle post last week...can you believe i found (2) more women's circle magazines?...i just love going thru them...they are such a hoot...so on with the show - and thank you to colorado lady and her vintage thingies thursday...i added my link to her blog last thursday and will again today...it's so neat to hear from new people...☺...

...how about some patterns?...dresses with 'those crazy paisleys'!...:

...and who wouldn't love a 'gay senorita' toaster cover?...i know i certainly would - my poor toaster just sits on my counter all plain and naked and now i feel pretty sad about that...:

...wouldn't this be gorgeous in your bathroom?...the doll's dress hides your toilet paper roll...you just stick her legs in the tissue roll...☺...:

...is this monkey pillow disturbing or what?...lol...and such a detailed, precise pattern!...:

...aren't these egg carton flower leis terribly realistic?...i can scarcely tell the difference between them and real leis...☺...:

...but my absolute favorite craft in the last (2) magazines i got?...bleach bottle projects!...oh, the things you can craft from bleach bottles (click for a larger view - it is SO worth it)!...lamps, bags, baskets, candle sticks...good grief, how much bleach did they go through back in the day? - the lamp shade alone (on the lower right) has pieces from (24) quart size bottles in it!...:

...*swoon*...a bleach bottle purse lined with white leatherette and embellished with plastic daisies...seriously, if anything just absolutely screams 'tacky', this little creation has got to be it...:

...several people were fascinated with the women's circle 'searching for someone' column that i posted a few letters from last week...i am fascinated by it, too...i just want to write to the addresses and try to track these stories down so i know how they ended...so tragic...:

...i know this one is so sad, but i had to laugh at the mom's description of her missing daughter...'lots of moles and dentures'...can you imagine?...'thanks, mom...you know how sensitive i am about my moles and i've been telling people these are my real teeth!'...:


...the 'pandora's box' feature where you could ask a question and get an answer is hysterical - aren't these (2) answers extremely helpful?????...:


...lots and lots of women looking for pen pals and birthday twins (so weird)...won't camping in a tent with 6 children under the age of 11 be fun for this mom?...:

...this poor woman has a husband who's too busy for her plus she doesn't like to eat...:

...love the first paragraph in this one...her husband works as a chef - he doesn't cook at home much but always has plenty of advice for her!...i can't tell if she's being tongue-in-cheek or just being honest...☺...:

...and marvin...marvin, marvin, marvin...gosh, you sound like a peach!...:

...what a fun hobby, fay!...:

...and oh, my goodness...mrs. john steffens is well on her way to a wonderful bottle collection...ONE mrs. butterworth syrup bottle so far!...:

...i've always been fascinated with mimosa bean seed pictures, haven't you?...WHAT THE HECK???!!!...:


...can you believe this guy CROCHETED this huge lord's prayer?????...it won a blue ribbon at the new york state fair...no doubt he was a barrel of fun to hang around with, huh?...:

...a couple of happy couples...♥...:

...poor mr. potter looks frightened by mrs. potter's doll collection, doesn't he?...like he better not take his eyes off of them lest any minute they start jumping off the shelves and walls to attack him - and really, why are some of those dolls attached to the wall like that anyway?...like they're just kind of hanging in space???...so odd...:

...this letter is awful...poor elva (that's a pic of elva under her letter)...such a happy and positive gal, it's hard to believe she's divorced yet AGAIN...:


...another yummy recipe for those of you who collect them...:

...the compreso-belt!...takes 4" off your waist and oh, so comfy!...:

...can you believe the prices on some of these things?...hankies with crocheted edgings for 15 cents apiece?...crocheted gloves for $2.00/pair?...wow...:

...sorry so long of a post...but i start going through these magazines picking out things to share?...and almost every single thing is great enough to share!...☺...

...enjoy your end of the week and weekend - i've posted enough for this week...see you next week!...

peoria quilt show, the last of the pics...

...i've been busy cutting on mrs. nichols' stack and whacks...they're actually one block wonders but she calls them stack and whacks and who am i to argue with an 80-something-year-old woman who still quilts?...she can call them whatever she wants!...☺...so one stack and whack down, one to go...and then i'll have the (2) quilts with all the applique pieces left to do...sigh...

...here is the rest of the quilt show pictures...the first (2) signs tickled me...☺...:

...this cording (?) (from the above quilt) seemed to be really popular at the show...there was even a vendor demonstrating the technique...have you tried it?...:



...this one was gorgeous in person...the background fabric is almost a pistachio green?...:

...wow, huh?...:

...this one has that cording, too...:





...and double wow...can you imagine?...you have to stand a ways away from the quilt in person in order for it to "pop" like it does here...:

...still cool here, so windy and rather drizzly at times?...ick...wonder where indian summer is?...

peoria quilt show, part iii

...i almost forgot i had more pics from the quilt show!...again, no narration necessary?...hope you enjoy...and hope you are enjoying your week...still cool here...quilt weather!...☺...:

my boo breaks a board!...10/03/09 tae kwon do demonstration...

...just popping in for a minute - my boo had a tae kwon do demonstration this afternoon and i promised her i would post the video i took of her breaking a board...*beaming with pride*...

...watch closely...she kept making sure grandma t was watching in between every move she made - plus the little stinker was fighting quite the wedgie today - but she breaks that darned board!!!...☺...:



...boo?...grandma is so proud of you and i had so much fun watching you today!...you are incredibly awesome!...i love you sooooo much!...♥...:

whew!

...what a jolly, wholesome day it's been in the paisley household this morning...between me trying to finish my teeny tiny 9-patch project and mr. paisley re-caulking his shower?...lots of cursing coming from different areas of the house...☺...

...so this is my sparkle...from the book 'radiant sunshine and shadows'...what do you think?...:

...all of my teeny tiny 9-patches with solid squares in between...:

...i learned a lot from the book...:

...about colors and pressing and a cool way to chain piece sections of a quilt top together...:

...i highly recommend 'radiant sunshine and shadows'...having said that?...i will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER attempt something like this again...:

...too many darned seams!...i was trying to figure out just how many but got lost after {(264) 9-patches x (9)} + {(265) solid squares} = 2,641...yikes!!!...:

...sparkle is about 53" x 53" and far from perfect...i see lots of places i need to re-press and my corners don't line up just right and some of my seams are rather wavy?...shoot!...i'm not so much disappointed in the actual pattern as i am with myself in that it was such a struggle for me to deal with so many little pieces AND my struggle is just so BLATANTLY OBVIOUS in these pics...sigh...:

...oh, well, perhaps my mistakes will quilt out?...talk about wishful thinking, huh?...

...i'm also trying to decide how i want to border her...i've got a larger pink polka dot batik and a larger purple polka dot batik so we'll see...whew!...i'm just kinda glad i've made it this far on her...:

...oh, i wanted to show you a piece of fabric i picked up at the quilt show sunday, too - for a pillow case for mr. paisley...yep, you guessed it...he's a snorer...=(...:

...that's all for this week...have a great weekend - i've got to get cutting on mrs. nichols' stack and whacks and i hope to get both sparkle and my kaleidoscope quilted next week...see you monday!...☺...

women's circle magazine, circa 1960's

...i still have quilt show pictures to share but thought i'd save them for a couple of days next week because i want to show you what i found the other day at one of the thrift shops in town, helen's house of horrors treasures...women's circle magazines from the 1960's!...

...oh my goodness, these magazines are a total hoot...i originally bought them just because i loved the covers...'the nationwide FRIENDLY homemakers' club' - and honestly, don't these ladies faces just scream 'FRIENDLY'?...☺...

...this is mrs. joe carda and her hobby is - are you ready? - putting artificial flowers in the bases and chimneys of lamps and lanterns...:

...this is happy florence jackson with her bone china collection...:

...and this is mrs. edward m. hohlfield...THE grandma moses of the sewing machine!...yes, that really is the 'last supper' all done up in pretty thread...:

...i think this magazine was to 1960's women what blogging is to us?...just full of letters from women talking about their hobbies (much like we post) and looking for pen pals (comments) and swap partners...:

...the letters are absolutely fascinating to read...women didn't think much of themselves back then and seemed terribly lonely and tragic...their husbands were gone a lot and definitely the boss of everything...and so many children with handicaps?...lots of young housewives, too...16-year-old newlyweds and 20-year-old moms with lots of kids already...and being in your 50's or 60's was considered pretty old...:

...collecting post cards was huge as was collecting s & h green stamps and betty crocker coupons (evidently there was no expiration date?), salt and pepper shakers, view cards, carnival glass and seeds to start plants...most women knitted and crocheted but quilting seems to have confused a lot of them as there are tons of letters asking for quilting help...

...all of the letters contained the women's complete home address (can you imagine? - and they just hated 'that new zip code system - sorry, but don't forget to include my zip code!') and always their birthdays and anniversaries...finding your 'birthday' or 'anniversary' twin was high on their list of fun...weird, huh?...

...women loved to share what they were making (just like us!)...this has to be my favorite picture out of all the magazines...little pig costumes a woman made her (5) oldest children out of old sheets, screen and cheesecloth!...:

...of course, there are recipes in the magazines...gluten biscuits or carrot pie, anyone?...mmmmmmm!...☺...:


...there is a 'looking for someone' section in each of the magazines...did lots of people just disappear back then?...lots of moms looking for long lost sons and daughters and lots of wives looking for husbands...were they murdered?...abducted?...or did they just run away (you know, to escape mom's carrot pie and gluten biscuits)?...:

...i wonder if it was brazen to have a male pen pal?...:

...each magazine has a 'pandora's box' feature, too, where people could get answers to various questions...i especially like this answer...'i don't know to both questions'...lol...why even print the darned letter then?...:

...BUT mostly i wanted to share these great crafty ideas with you...christmas will be here sooner than you think, you know, and i'm hoping the following will give you much inspiration!...

...button pictures!...:

...how about a 'gay tidy bag for the teen set'?...it holds curlers, headbands, anything...make of gay cottons!...(item 7052)...:

...does your hubby smoke a pipe?...wouldn't this pipe holder all bent and squiggly that you fashion from a coat hanger look fab on your end table?...:

...for sure, i will be making my sweet mr. paisley one of these super cute cook-out ensembles!...:

...actually, this apron IS kinda cute...two dishcloths sewn together then trimmed with crochet...the top trim is triple crochet that you weave a ribbon through for the apron ties...hmmmm...:

...no doubt this popsicle pencil holder will look EXACTLY like an oaken bucket when done...:

...perhaps you could make a granny square jacket and shell for a friend?...:

...or a butterfly rug that 'will not flutter away' - made entirely of pink, rose and white pompons!...:

...sawing rolling pins in half to make book ends would be crafty, no?...:

...BUT i've saved the best for last and please?...i'd really appreciate it if nobody stole this idea from me...(also -christmas present spoiler alert, mom!!!)...yes, it's instructions for making french poodles out of cockle burrs!...because honestly, when you think of cockle burrs, don't french poodles just automatically come to mind and vice-versa?...and wouldn't cockle burrs be an enjoyable and fun medium to work with?...(i think the acorn cap truly sets the poodle off as well)...:

...i hope you enjoyed this post...i am just finding these magazines hysterically funny and enjoyable...oh, and guess what?...i got (7) of the magazines for a dime a piece and they are selling on the internet for around $10.00 a piece...so i think i have a new hobby - collecting women's circle!...

...enjoy your day!...

peoria quilt show, part ii...

...i have more quilt pictures to share - actually, i have enough for about (2) more posts after this, too, but i almost feel like i'm cheating?...taking the easy way out doing a post with no words?...perhaps it's a nice break from my babbling, though...☺☺☺...

...i'm STILL sewing teeny tiny 9-patches to solid squares...lol...it's a job, but one i like...oh, and i took mrs. nichols her triple irish chain prep work on monday...she was thrilled...i'm so glad...

...enjoy your day...tomorrow?...more quilt pics and then friday?...i'll introduce you to sparkle, my teeny tiny 9-patch project...she should be done by then and i've named her sparkle because she does...☺...

peoria quilt show, part i...

...i've been busy sewing teeny tiny 9-patches to solid squares and repeating and repeating and so on and so on...each row of my teeny tiny 9-patch project has (23) blocks and my finished project will have (23) rows...(23) x (23)?...that's 529 blocks so it won't be so teeny tiny, huh?!...plus if i show you another sneak peek?...it'll give the whole project away so stay tuned for part ii in a couple of days - hopefully, i'll have a completed flimsy!...☺...

...in the meantime, would you like to see some pictures from the peoria quilt show mom and i went to on sunday?...i took lots of pictures so i'll spare you commentary on them...hopefully, like me, they'll just inspire you and give you some color/design ideas?...

...a little commentary on this first one though...it's my mom...hi, mom!...(plus i really liked the quilts in this vendor's booth and was trying to get them, too...☺)...:

...oh, and this one...gosh, i love this chair...:












...more pics to come...and other fun stuff, too...have a great day!...

teeny tiny 9-patch project, part i

...(6) fabrics...:

1. muslin

2. green

3. orange

4. pink

5. aqua

6. purple

...sewn into (264) 2 3/4" (unfinished) teeny tiny 9-patches in colorways 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, 5/6 and 6/1 - (44) each...:


...AND cut into (265) 2 3/4" solid squares...(44) each + 1 extra for the muslin...:


...hmmmm...what's going on here?...stay tuned for part ii!... ☺...:

...mrs. nichols' triple irish chain quilt prepping is done...whew!, what a relief...☺...(1) quilt down, (4) to go but no sewing on the remaining (4) - just cutting...

...(100) each A, B and C and (50) D strip subsets for the checkerboard blocks...:

...(49) squares and (98) each E and F strip subsets for the solid blocks...:

...and inner, middle and outer border strips...:

...just an idea of what her finished quilt might look like?...:

...i got a nice surprise in the mail this week...a blogging friend who gave it up when some not so good things happened in her life emailed me saying she owed me a pay-it-forward gift from way back...i told her not to worry about it but she said that sending it to me would give her a sense of closure...this wall hanging was included in my pay-it-forward package...isn't it great?...:

...i think she's still struggling just a bit but i'm hoping she'll be back to blogging soon...i'll be sure and let you know who she is and her new blog name when she's ready...☺...:

...have you seen the movie 'the informant!' yet?...mr. paisley and i saw it earlier in the week...the movie was shot here in our town...the lead character, mark whitacre (played by matt damon) even used to work in the same building that mom did at adm (a huge company here) - the movie is all about a price fixing/embezzlement scandal that happened here in the late 80's/early 90's...i'm not sure how the movie would be for someone not familiar with the inside story, but for us?...it was really neat recognizing so many places and names...☺...

...tomorrow, my boo and i have an afternoon movie date - 'cloudy with a chance of meatballs'...and then sunday, mom and i are going to the quilt show in peoria (we went last year, too, and it is a nice show)...i'll take pics!...

...enjoy your weekend and i'll see you next week...☺...

...would it be okay if we just indulge me a wee bit today and call this post "grandma t's brag book"?...☺♥...:








...papa and i have the babies this morning - a welcome break from quilt prepping!...talk to you tomorrow...

...i've been busily working on mrs. nichols' triple irish chain...out of the (5) quilts i am prepping for her, i think this one will be the most time consuming since it's the one i'm doing so much sewing on - lots of strip sets to be cut into subsets...:

...aren't her fabrics beautiful?...:

...mrs. nichols is in her 80's - she uses a walker and has carpal tunnel...her husband suffers from parkinson's disease - he doesn't read or write anymore, but his mind is sharp and mr. and mrs. nichols spend their days watching tv and talking...they've been married over 60 years and are still bananas about each other...☺...they both get confused sometimes - so i made some charts for mrs. nichols - hopefully they will help her when she puts her irish chain together...:

...i'll have lots of hours in this one...and it's so hard to know what to charge someone for your work...i'm thinking $100 (20 hours x $5/hour) - but i think even that's too high...though i'll probably have more than 20 hours of work in this quilt and $5 is less than minimum wage, i also know mrs. nichols has already spent quite a bit on fabric plus she'll pay mom to quilt and bind her project...it's so hard to know what's fair - there seems to be a fine line between what your time is actually worth and what a person should actually be expected (and is willing) to pay?...sigh...any thoughts?...

...every so often, i stick a couple of my 1 1/4" strips into the sewing machine so i'm kinda working on my teeny-tiny 9-patches, too...i have (88) out of (264) complete...:

...i found these pics in my picasa and realized that i never showed you the quilts mom made for my boo and little rase for christmas 2008 - these wonderful teddy bear rag quilts...i know they were a lot of work and the kids love them...☺...:

...gosh, the babies have grown a ton just since christmas, huh?...

...back to work...☺...enjoy your day!...

...wow, it seems so quiet and empty here without little rase...he was an absolute angel the entire weekend...such a sweet, sweet little boy...and congratulations to my boo - she won a bronze medal in her tae kwon do tournament!...☺...

...after little rase went home yesterday, i finished karla's disappearing 9-patches for bee inspired...:

...and got all of my signature blocks done for melissa's swap...yayy!...:

...a big shout out to jane for the wonderful civil war prints...and a big shout out to the civil war people for recognizing purple as a great color...☺...:

...now that i am somewhat caught up on things, i can start cutting the fabrics for mrs. nichols (5) quilts...whew, what a job...a triple irish chain, a quilt with lots of applique pieces, the pattern i showed here on saturday and (2) stack and whacks...because mrs. nichols isn't strong enough to cut her fabrics, she originally wanted all individual pieces - not strips because how would she cut them into subsets once she pieced them?...on the triple irish chain alone, that would mean about (3,500) 1 3/4" squares - yikes!...so NOW i am going to strip piece what i can for her and cut the subsets - she can then piece the subsets into blocks and put her quilts together...i think the whole point is that she wants everyone in her family to have one of her quilts after she's gone and it will be nice to make things as easy as possible for her...

***and lest you continue to think i'm a saint for doing this (hang on while i adjust my very crooked and slightly tarnished halo)?...mrs. nichols is paying me a bit to do this for her...does that make me seem awful now?...sigh...***

...enjoy your week and talk to you soon!...☺...

...p.s. ...dad sent me this pic of his new friend, spidey, who lives in his neighbor's yard...yipes, huh?...cathi?...i think mr. obsession will like this one!...:

EDIT - COULD THE TRUFFLE QUEEN BE ANY MORE AWESOME? SHE ACTUALLY HAS THE BELOW PATTERN CUT OUT FROM THE OCTOBER 2006 ISSUE OF QNM - IT'S CALLED 'QUILT OF MANY COLORS' - THANK YOU, ELAINE! ☺

...i need your help!...mrs. nichols is a dear, sweet customer of mom's...i think i've told you about her before - i know i've shown a couple of her quilts...she was a grade school teacher at the grade school i went to when i was going there...she's in failing health and her husband is in even worse health...she is so extremely devoted to him and just loves having sewing work that she can do while she takes care of him...

...she just gave mom (5) tubs full of fabric that i am going to cut for her for (5) different quilts - poor thing, she's not strong enough to cut - she wants enough stuff to keep her busy all winter...

...one of the tubs has some "twilight garden" fabric in it that she purchased from "seams good inc." in owasso, ok (where her son lives) - she mistakenly thought the quilt pattern was included in the fabric pack and it's not..."seams good" does not have its own website so i doubt they do any mail order business...this is the tag that was attached to the fabric pack - no name, no information - can anybody help me figure out what this pattern is called so i can find it for mrs. nichols?...i know i can call "seams good" once the weekend is over, but again, since they don't have a website, i don't think they can help me actually get the pattern...any help would be appreciated!...:

...the weekend is going well...but i think playskool made a mistake on its race track packaging?...perhaps it should have said for ages two - 55?...☺...:

...yesterday was the weirdest day...ever have one of those?...i have little rase this weekend (more on that in a minute) so it was a day spent trying to get a few things done...

...i went to get my hair cut and had a weird experience...the girl refused to look at my hair dry when i tried to show her what kind of cut i wanted...what???!!!...something about "i'll wash it first and then take my precise measurements..."...yikes...so i went somewhere else...

...then off to wal-mart where the oddest woman literally latched on to me the minute i walked into the store and shopped with and talked to me THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS IN WAL-MART...what???!!!...she was with me in toys, she was with me in groceries, she was with me at the pharmacy...and did i know that her son and daughter-in-law live in norway where there are no bathtubs but really deep showers?...and did i ever wonder what happened to slinkies?...just when i thought i lost her, she showed up in dairy shoving two slinkies into my hands...did i know how expensive it would be to send those heavy slinkies to norway to her grandkids?...sigh...really expensive, i'm guessing...

...went to an auction with mom in the evening...and on the way home, we came upon a fatal car accident that had just happened a few minutes before...a car 3/4 of the way under a semi trailer...=(...

...honestly, i have never been so glad to get back home, lock my front door against the world - and for a thursday to be over...period...

...i did get a few things done yesterday...blocks cut for a couple of disappearing 9-patches for karla for bee inspired...her fabrics are from the botanical pop line...:

...all of my fabrics cut for melissa's signature block swap...(70) 3 1/2" squares and (140) 2 1/2" squares...i even got all of my little squares marked with the diagonal lines...:

...and a few more rows added to my ripple (which i've decided to name "fruit salad"...☺)...:

...my boo is going to her first tae-kwon-do tournament this weekend in missouri...her first time staying in a motel, too!...so little rase is staying with grandma t this morning thru sunday morning...my son and daughter-in-law think i spoil the grandbabies...(mr. paisley says that just means i'm doing my job...☺)...and that it takes about 3 days after being with me to whip them back into shape...so i am absolutely giddy with excitement thinking about all the spoiling damage i can do in an entire weekend!...

...i have all of little rase's fave foods on hand...hot dogs, mandarin oranges, popcorn and m & m's (that covers all the food groups, right?...meat, fruit, fiber and chocolate?) plus i may have accidentally bought him a couple of new toys...(something else weird that happened at wal-mart yesterday?...i was in the self-checkout and kept choosing "skip bagging" because i had several large items - evidently that raised some kind of "wal-mart criminal red flag" because security was called (on me!) to come over to verify that i wasn't some sort of professional shop-lifting grandmother...geez)...:

...i'm thinking little rase and i shall have lots of fun playing, snacking, riding bikes, visiting people, napping, watching barney, messing with rusty and fancy...and after that first hour is over?...i'm sure i'll think of something...☺...

...enjoy your weekend and i'll see you next week...

...i'm getting ready to go play bingo with mom!...it's a hoot...i've never won at it so i'm hoping tonight will be my lucky night?...mr. paisley is with my dad seeing district 9 - so a good evening for both of us - i don't do sci-fi and he's not so crazy about bingo...though the last time i drug him with me we went?...he got 2 bingos!...gosh, i was so happy for him...NOT!...☺...

...i sewed a bit today...these are for krista for the bee inspired virtual quilting bee...she sent everyone black and one other color of fabric (a deep orchid for me)...she is envisioning an amish-style quilt so i wanted to keep the blocks really stark and simple...i'm thinking she can orient the two stripe blocks both ways - one vertical and one horizontal - and the checkerboard is rather striking in person...when they're mixed in with all of the other colors she sent everybody else (and all of the different designs they make), it ought to be a really neat quilt...:

...my ripple is continuing to grow...7 row repeats of my 7 different colors held together in different combos...i've got about 6 repeats done...i'm thinking 15 repeats will do it?...:



...have you ever had an "oops!" moment that almost made you throw up?...welcome to my world this morning...the teeny tiny 9-patch project i've started?...i was thinking i had (5) different colors so i needed (36) 9-patches of (5) different sets each...oops!...i forgot to count 'muslin' as a color...so in order for the pattern to work out, i actually need (44) 9-patches of (6) different sets each...bottom line - (264) teeny tiny 9-patches to make instead of (180) - yipes!...the good news?...my quilt will just be bigger than i thought...☺...

...enjoy your day...mr. paisley and i have the grandbabies tomorrow so see you thursday?...

...BINGO! ...(just practicing...)...