SWEET MEMORIES!

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 I do hope you all had a fabulous Christmas.

The other night as I went to get another little quilt for my bed, I grabbed this one out of the closet.
All these sweet memories came flooding back.  So much so that it was hard to sleep.

This quilt was made for my son James.

Some of you may remember me speaking of my older friends that I taught to quilt when he was in his late seventies and she, her early seventies.

This is one of those quilts.  This was when I first started to build my stash by garage selling.  This couple and I would go garage selling and when they were learning to quilt we had to literally fight over the fabric we found.

One year they decided to make a quilt for each of their children and grandchildren. I remember walking into their home and seeing all these white garbage bags under their tree. YOu might think it looked trashy (great pun) but quite the contrary, they had ribbons flowing down form the top...looked absoutely amazing but what was even more fun was the smiles on their face and the anticipation for Christmas to come.

 My friend told me that his daughter cried when she got her quilt. Now my sweet friend has passed away a year ago. I think of him often. 

 

   The following year they decided to make each one of my sons a quilt and my husband and I. The quilt you see is one of them. Now the next picture is the label. We decided that a picture of them and maybe a few kind words would be great. I hid the sweet things he said about James but can you imagine his daughter when she saw this on the back of her quilt?

Thanks for walking down sweet memories with me.  They say you don't get to pick your family but you always pick your friends.  I have truly been blessed with these two sweet people. 

May you all have a wonderful New Years!!!!  May the sweets you eat be delicious and void of calories.

My Memories Suite 4

See....old dogs can learn new tricks.... the only problem is, this Greetings is smaller than what it looked like in my memories. Talk about fun.....it is not too late to ask for it for Christmas. Thanks Sew Cal, you can get a discount if you hit the button on my sidebar. Merry Christmas Everyone!!

CONFESSION TIME!!

Okay....I should not quit my day job!!!

You give me a piece of fabric and I can manipulate the death out of it but anything else.....I just go plop plop....fizz fizz     My Go cutter made easy work of these....

The PTA of Sandy Hook has asked for snowflakes, so when the children return at the beginning of the years their school will be decorated with snowflakes. Go to Sew Cal to get the address and further info. I plan to go to Micheal's tomorrow to get some pretty paper...no more glitter for me.

Going to send these anyways...maybe they will get mixed up with your prettier ones and no one will notice.  If time permits, I plan to make some fabric ones and blanket stitch around them.  We will see...4th son is coming tomorrow (I thought Friday....was I ever wrong)...and my older friend is in the hospital....so like I said, time permitting.

SMILING TODAY

Just take a look at these note cards and you will see why I am smiling.

These note cards are made by Gene Black If you click on his name it will take you to his blog and tell you a little bit about him.

I have known Gene for about 3 years now. I have even met him in person. He is family, he would fit right in right down to the southern accent. No...I don't have an accent but most of my family do.

He is crazy, down to earth, and just great to talk to. One time I was talking to my husband about Gene....all of a sudden he looks up and says in a strong voice "Who is this Gene you speak of?"  I had to laugh and then explain.  I think my husband just assumes he is family now.

Don't you just love his note cards? He sells them on etsy.

I can't get enough of them. I plan to frame them. I do have one piece of his framed but it is packed away or I would show you.

Just simply spectacular...so much so that his tulips (the first picture) has it's own fabric line.  How cool is that?  Yep...I would say he is a true artist.

If you have a minutes, go by and check out his blog or his store. 

 Now there is another reason I am smiling....(my sons will kill me if they knew I was posting this). I have two sons that will hug me in front of the others but I have two (which are here now) that will come to me when I am in a room all alone and just squeeze the life out of me. I got one such hug last night and well....it just warms my heart.

I THOUGHT YOU WOULD GET A KICK OUT OF THIS SIGN....AND SOAPBOX

I just loved this sign and thought you would too. 

Now for the soap box.

So....as I leave here to go to Hawaii, I go through the scanner.....after I am out of the scanner the lady comes up to me and says she is going to have to pad me down.

I said is it because of the decorative buckle on the back of my pants.  She never responded but went about frisking me.

So later the next day (took us that long to get to our hotel in Kauai) I kept thinking...why did they frisk me?  Why?

I am an extremely modest person and have always felt my body was a temple so it really bothered me.

Then it hit me....must have been the underwire I was wearing. 

 Okay then....I will solve that.....no more underwire when going through scanner.

Fast forward to many days later when we were leaving Kauai to go to Oahu.

I go through the scanner and once again....the lady says....I am going to have to pad you down (easy way for saying I am going to feel you up).

I said....I was padded down last time but I am not wearing an underwire, I do have a decorative buckle on my blue jeans.

She said, that is not the problem.....you are packed in there awfully tight.  I said?  Packed or stacked?

She asked if I was wearing a girdle...and I said no (should I have been).

She proceeds to feel me up and this time I am real mad but held my tongue.

My husband was the lucky one that got to hear me rant for a half hour until I calmed down.

I told him I should have said...oh wait... you must have seen the cheese and crackers I had stashed in there for a later snack.  

Needless to say my husband and I have had plenty to laugh at with all of the jokes we have been making about this (at my expense).

She also took a pad and wiped my hands to see if I had been bomb making.  I laugh because I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and to me, that would be way out of my league.

Anyways.....it is just frustrating because they are busy harassing me and letting other able bodies go on.  Where is the justice in this?

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At the airport after everyone has sat down, this guy comes in with gloves and says he has to by law pad down the men.  He looks around and he only chose the older men...what is up with that.  I tell my husband I think they chose the older people because we cause least resistance and are less scarey for them...so if they have to pat someone down they should just chose someone that is less intimidating.  What ya think?  If that is the case, why do it?

WHAT A SURPRISE WHEN I GOT HOME.

As most of you know, I had a son graduate from BYUH. My husband and I went there to watch him walk..... It was a lot of fun.

 We saw some wonderful friends and family.


I did want to share with you what my two sons had set up for my husband and I when we got home with Christmas Music in the background.

I could not help but smile. The tree was all decorated, it was just beautiful and the Santa....toooo funny. They got a kick out of it and hey....the house was clean, not clean like I like it but clean enough. A mother can not ask for more than that....oh and food in the fridge.

CHRISTMAS TREE PATTERN WINNERS.....

Since not many people commented on my Wonky Christmas Tree (not complaining) it is a busy time of year.

 Well...anyways, I sent the pattern to all 17, least ways I hope I got all of you....if not, let me know and I will send it on over. Thanks so much for coming by and commenting.

Here is one I did in purple and gold. I just love this one.


 I won "My Sweet Memories version 4" from Sew Cal. I am soooo excited

. All of you know that I am not techno savy....but I will give myself credit for a little common sense. When I finally figure out what I am doing, I will do a little demo for you but if you notice on my sidebar is a discount for their program if you are interested.

You can do headers for your blog, buttons, banners, you name it and I think it might even help me do better patterns (not sure yet) but will let you know when I sit down and play with it.  Can I say LUCKY ME....!!!



 

DO YOU HAVE AN HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTES?

If you do, then you can make this!!!! What a fast fun project for when you are in need of a quick gift.

Here is the larger one on my wall.

As I was stitching this I had a thought! All of you who are doing FMQ Challenge over at Sew Cal's, you can use your FMQ squares for something like this small tree. Just do you FMQ and then applique the tree over it.

 I do not applique my items until the project is sandwiched, I just blanket stitch all the way through everything. Makes for a prettier stitch and saves time. One disclaimer, I do not  always do this if I have large projects such as a quilt.


Marilyn Maze won the penguin panel, I need your address Marilyn!!  Thanks for all of you who wanted it.

Today I am giving away a free Tree pattern....just leave a comment of what you like most in Inchworm Fabrics store.


By the way, blogger is giving me fits....I had to take off my moderation of comments because blogger was not allowing me to post them.  So...if you have not heard from me, that is why.  Also, if you see mistakes, blogger will not allow me back in to edit them.  I hope you are not having the same issues.

"OH CHRISTMAS TREE, OH CHRISTMAS TREE!" anothe fun giveaway

Friday I went shopping with a friend to one of the Local Quilt Stores. Sure wish I had my camera. It was totally heaven in there. I purchased (MORE)Christmas Fabric. This is one of the pieces. Unfortunately the designer is cut off at the bottom so if any of you know who designed this, please let me know.

I loved this piece so much that it inspired me to make this.   I love it so much that it is now hanging on my wall downstairs.  My husband does too and he is my most harsh critic (honest).

I tried so hard to have it done so we would be able to mention that Inchworm Fabrics is giving away the pattern free as well as a charm pack with any order in her store...no matter how great or small the order (the charm packs are for the first 10 people who order, the pattern will go all month). 

 More tweeking is involved of the pattern but I am confident that Monday it will be tweeked and on its way to you.

 Wouldn't one tree look great too? That is what I am up to tomorrow. I had it started last night but sleep won over. 

Don't forget to go to Inchworm's blog, she is giving away a penguin panel and I also on the post below this am giving away one.

What a wonderful Month this is going to be.....just a side note....

why is it so wonderful? Not only fun stuff over at Inchworm but I am going to Hawaii...I have a son graduating from BYU Hawaii.

A week before he graduates my husband and I are going to the island of Kaui.  You all know I am an island girl.....I dreamed last night that I never left.

PRECIOUS PANELS AND A GIVEAWAY!!!! SEVERAL GIVEAWAYS!!....

I finally got my panels out and decided to do something with them. Not like I don't have other things to be doing but I know I am not the only one saying this....seems I am not a lone person paddling this boat. This is more pink than it should be, the pink should be white...sorry.  I am giving this panel away... YEP....

Now I had to do some adjusting.  It seems that this panel on the sides did not have enough black...so... I made 1 1/2" strips and I appliqued the panel onto it.  I didn't want to lose the red border.

I also made the top and bottom border smaller than the sides.  If you win this, you can cut down or do what ever.

Why am I giving this away?  To announce to all of you that Inchworm Fabrics is having a "Family Affair"... 

It seems that  my sister, Jeanette, is so busy working a full time job, quilting, canning, gardening, making things for her grandkids that she barely has time to breathe.  So....she is bringing in her girls to help her out.  She has four amazing daughters.  If you go to her blog, you will see pictures and she will introduce them to you.

And....AND...she is giving away a panel as well.  It just doesn't get any better than that.  AND!!!!  She is giving away 10 charm packs to the first 10 people that order from her store.  AND...yes...there is more.

She is going to have a full month of fun things, receipes, tips, free patterns, tutorials.....fun fun fun....

So if you want this panel, please comment, then go to Inchworm's blog and do go by her store

 

This one I am keeping......Lucky me.

I love love love it.  I made the borders wider on the top and bottom than the sides because it was so wide.  Now I just need to back it and I can finally play on my machine.

So stay tuned for more fun things to be happening.