Sometimes in life, it is not all about ME!!! WHAT!!!!

I celebrated Kelly's Birthday over at I Have a Notion by ordering this cute wall hanging....

You all know how much I just love Kelly and her store...no she is not paying me to say this....truly....I mean really....



Then Susan from Quixotic Craftersent me this adorable pin cushion from one of her giveaways.... isn't it cute? Thanks Susan!!




Now....I know, I always think things are about me but for once...and I mean once I am going to think about someone or something else.

My poor Go cutter has been cutting this fabric for a few days now. I felt so badly for it, it was huffing and puffing and kept telling me it was tired and bored....so I finally cleaned up my mess and gave it a rest.


One stack is 14 inches high and the other is 6 inches high...doesn't look like much in the picture.

I really wanted to have that box of scraps all Go cutted up but....


well...I am giving it a much deserved rest.

Trust me when I tell you that the box is still full...

yes.....I made a mistake and turned the lights out the other night....you guessed it....more scraps in the morning....

what is up with that?

There should be a law against scrap breeding...

THIMBLEBERRIES SEW DAY!

I took the easy route today.

I got the teapot pattern from this book.



This is what I made...



I have so many projects that I just wanted to be able to finish one thing...just one thing today.....that wasn't too much to ask...was it?

This purple is so striking that I just had to do something with it. Thanks Jeanette.....I just love these towels. I think these projects are great when you just want to finish something up.

If you joined us today on Thimbleberries sew day, please leave a comment. I am trying to figure out this linky stuff and when I do you will be able to link your sew day to my post....sorry....not able to today. Thanks for joining us, if you let me know, I will personally link you below.


Crazy'bout quilts, Sandie, and I came up with this Thimbleberries sew day a year ago...She has been better about keeping up with it.

But.....go visit her blog

Then visit Crafts and Stuff

Rrribbet by Barb Tourtillote

Remember me posting about this fabric over at Inchworm Fabrics

I told you how much I so loved it.....

So I got to thinking (we all know how dangerous that is)....and

kept thinking (ya smelling the smoke yet)?

and soooooooooooooo I


took pictures of this....



and this....



and this.....



and this......



and came up with this.....




I need to stitch around the fishing poles, fix the string. I wish I had put the brown in the center square and where I had two frogs fishing, I wish I had put them on the other side so the end frog's pole could go over to the other square. But oh well....I think it turned out pretty cute....even if I say so myself.


I was going to quilt this tomorrow but....it is THIMBLEBERRIES DAY!!!! I think I might make it to this one...anyone else joining us?

MY SISTER SAVED ME!

Jeanette kept telling me that she had the white fabric that I needed for my orange slice quilt. I wasn't convinced, I don't know why but I went and ordered from her store, Inchworm Fabrics, and low and behold......she was right.

I am so excited now...I can finish my orange slice quilt.




She sent these lovely towels, she knew I was having problem finding the right towels for my towel swap, she had found some and asked if I wanted them but by that time I had already spent too much money on the towels....but she sent me a few anyways.....I love them.....the colors are awesome.

More fabrics.....

Oh.....love this red.

This pink....

This moon captivates me.

Love these charm packs....

Koi.....

This is her newest fabirc and it is just adorable...I can't wait to make something with this....

Well.....once again I broke the bank......but I just couldn't help myself

"The devil made me do it"....HA!!! remember that famous saying....in this case he really really did.

"THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!"

This is the young man that left on a two year mission to the West Indies.



This is the young man that was returned to me.

He came walking down the hall and I looked at my husband and said "Is that our David?" He was walking so tall and self confident, he was smilling but is that my son?

He must be my son because he called me mom....hugged me so tight he lifted me off the ground (yes....me, can you imagine....one strong son). I just kept staring at him because he sounds like my son but he certainly doesn't look like the young man that left.

He lost around 50 pounds and 50 pounds I felt he did not need to lose...(that is my opinion). Maybe I should go to the West Indies for 2 years come back a new me.

He was starving, he had not eaten all day...stood in a line for 3 hours trying to get on the flight from Miami to Virginia...just didn't have time to eat.

We got home last night at 12:30...in bed by 1:00 a.m.

First on the agenda, glasses, he broke the glasses we sent him with and he is wearing glasses from high school, so glad he took a back up.

Then Joann's oh yes....I am torturing this young man that claims is my son. We will see if he fesses up and tells me what they did with the young man I sent. Oh don't get me wrong, this young man is awesome, more confident, talks more, carries himself with ease...oh yes.....truly awesome...but when I look at him I want to go....David...are you in there....

I have had 2 other sons serve missions but this is the first time I have seen such a drastic change in appearnce and manners. Left a boy, returned a man.

.

.

.

But...."David...David...this is mom, are you in there?"

.

.

Good to have him home...can't wait for him to wake up. He asked me to wake him up but there is no way, he is going to rest...and then we will go and play....(spend his dad's money....HA!!)

LUCKY GIRL!!

I was so fortunate to win these "Natural High Zip it bags" from Sew Cindy. She is always having a one day giveway....sometimes I make it and sometimes I am a day late....but that is okay....I enjoy her blog and don't go there for her giveaways.

don't you just love these bags? Thanks Cindy!!

My husband says I should put a bag over my head with this bad hair cut (I would cry but he is only funning me.....and well....telling the truth too). I will say one thing, every morning I get up and put make up on....figure that is the one improvement I can make and have control over. My husband hasn't noticed either......hummmmm maybe the bad haircut is just too much?




Then I got the most awesome surprise in the mail......My friend Krista from Amerika Samoa....she sent me these lovelies.....


I just couldn't believe it......I was doing the Samoan Happy Dance for sure....

I am still in happy land over these awesome fabrics....

Another reason I am in happy land is because (if you are on facebook, you are sick of hearing this...so sorry) but tomorrow is the day that my 5th son comes home from a 2 year mission for our church. I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited. I can't wait to get these arms around that young man. Will I be able to sleep tonight? Hummmm if not, I will just sew my hours away.

Free Form Quilting......

This is the octopus quilt's back after I used batting as a stabilizer and then cut away the batting to give it a trapunto look. I knot my ends so you will see globs of black, but no one will notice when it is backed.

Instead of Free Motion quilting, I am calling this free form quilting....I just did what ever floated my boat....I might get kicked off the boat but sure was having alot of fun in the process. Isn't that what this is all about, having fun?

Not sure if I like it but it gave me more confidence to move on...



I want to show you all what I learned, maybe some of you knew this and maybe there will be someone out there that doesn't and ... just maybe it will save someone time and frustration.

You see this foot....there is a screw at the top of the piece...see it, it is on the top right? Well...this allows you to lift the foot higher off the quilt or lower it. In my case, lowering the foot to where it touches with just enough room to move the quilt allowed me to have more control over my stitching. It also eleviated the skipped stitches and sometimes bad tension. Once I learned this, my free motion moved up a knotch in fun.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS HAVE SOME FUN!!! Know that song????




I did my March Boot Bash.....I used my Samoan Fabric......oh don't you just love those fabrics? You can not see the March at the bottom, I think I am going to have to take it out and put a darker stitch in. No worries....ain't taking it out today...maybe not tomorrow....and maybe not at all....it is no fun ripping out.....yep...this post is about having fun.....

Gene will announce the winner of the button giveaway on his blog Tuesday night.....so I will see you all then.

WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON AT BEJEWELED?

I decided not to post for a few days to let the button giveaway have full range of my blog. Infact, if you are looking for that giveaway it is just one post below.

Look what I started? HA!!! That is me laughing....yes, I am nutzzzzz for starting another project.

An orange slice quilt...whohooooo but this time it is going to be bigger. I ran into a snag....I ran out of the white I needed. So I went and got a tone on tone white for the 6 1/2 inch sqaures....do you think that will work. I have not cut into them for fear of it not looking good and then ruining the fabric.

Did one square for my Be Attitudes quilt!

Finished quilting this quilt, just needs a binding now....it looks bubbly because I just threw it on the floor and how it landed is how I took the picture.

It is amazing how a bad hair cut can affect someone's self esteem....all I do is go by the mirror and be mean to myself....so I am trying to keep busy and my mind off this "do"..sheweeeee...

So I am trying to be joyful!

Oh...by the way, Gene is going to be picking the 10 winners for the button giveaway, I wanted my family to have a chance to enter if they wanted to. He is not even going to look at the comments until he has chosen the numbers....how is that. So he said he will post tomorrow night. Sounds good to me....Thanks Gene.

APPLE CORE!!!! WHO'S YOUR FRIEND!!

Remember the cartoon with Chip and Dale. When I was younger I saw an episode where one of them was saying "Apple Core, who's your friend" and then throwing the apple core at the other. At the time I thought it was sooooooo funny.


I guess you would have had to been there!

So....I was doing the towels last night (finished....yahoooo)....and to the side I could hear that Apple Core die beckoning me to come,

use me,

cut your scraps....

I need another project like I do a snickers bar.....

But....it kept calling me.....and well....what is a gal to do?

I answered the call.

I cut out the cores last night and sewed two rows together and finished this top this afternoon. I am doing a flannel back so I am waiting for it to wash (wanted to preshrink it).....

I have enough cores left for another small quilt.

You say, Barb,

why do you make so many small quilts?

That is a good questions.

I do make some large ones as well but I have personal need for the smaller ones. For some reason they go like hot cakes around here and so I just like to have them on hand, to sell, giveaway, charity, whatever and whenever the need arises....

I finally....and I say finally put aside all the things I need to get done and did two blocks for the "Just one Star" can comfort a soldier, sponsored by Moda. As you can see I did two...and we are not suppose to square them out..... I first saw this on Debi's blog and ment to do some and then kept seeing them all over blog world and well....today I decided to bite the bullet and just "DO IT".....



Then I played with free motion on seven pieces of fabrics for the Young Women, these are going to be totes. This Wednesday, I am going to teach the blanket stitch for the Initial of the person the tote is going to. Then I am teaching how to make those cute flowers for embelishments.



Now.....Now....yes...now I am working on my 12 towels for the towel swap. I am thinking they are not so ugly any more. I want to have them done tonight so I can mail them out. Most of you know I have a son coming home not this Thursday but next Thursday and I am about to bust a gut. I am so excited that I can hardly stand myself. So I am trying to get everything I have to get done done so I won't feel so stressed the week he gets here.....

Notice the Barn on my sidebar...click on it and it will take you to the Barn block challenge for Accuquilt. There is alot of talent out there and this is a great way to use your creativity, create a block and maybe win some fun things.

FIRST THINGS FIRST!!

wELL, The octopus is on the machine right now...just waiting for me to come and play but that is for another day.

I did go to JoAnn's twice!!

Got the backing fabric. Thought I had enough batting....got home, laid everything out....and ....yep...you guessed it not enough batting.

The lady at JoAnn's told me (cause I asked when I was in there that morning) if the coupons I had would go towards batting....she said no. I did not want to pay full price for batting (cheap...cheap...cheap....)

But when Elizabeth from Such a Sew and Sew emailed me her coupon ..... I gave it more thought...called the store, read the coupon and well....you know the rest of the story. Husband and I hop in the car and head to JoAnn's again. Whohooooooo....got ten more yards.... Doing the happy dance. My husband asked how much I saved....I told him 59.00 and he was doing the happy dance. That car was bouncing all the way home...HA!!!


By that time....I had to put aside the Octopus and go on to other things. I had a young lady move up to the older class at church and so I wanted to give her this tote. I am making one for all the new girls coming in and infact, the girls in my class will help me make them.....so I got this done.


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GO CUTTER


I have not heard of anyone using their Go cutter to teach a Sunday School Class but now I have.

I dont teach, I just help organize activities and guide...but got a call this morning from the Teacher and well...she is sick.

Thought, how can I get these gals attention? My go cutter was sitting there, some bright cardboard (if it can cut capri sun containers, it can cut cardboard) then I can write key ideas on them for the chalkboard....and well....I teach in about two hours. Hopefully, they will enjoy the class.