Another great Read!!

Being the mother of two girls, I was excited when Tyndale gave me a copy of this book to review. I had heard of the idea of blessing your children before but this book explains it well and goes into depth on the subject. We generally think of a princess as somewhat of a diva but being the loved daughter of the King, Almighty God, is a much more pleasing association.

The book talks about rights of passage in other cultures, i.e., the quinceanera in Latin countries, but words of affirmation and love are a more lasting blessing to give our girls. Being a living example of a child of God is a rich legacy to leave them. This book concentrates on moms AND dads and the legacy they can give their children by being active participants in their lives. In our family we say we don’t spoil our children, we cherish them. This book gives lots of ideas for cherishing your daughters without spoiling them.

Moms and dads of daughters – read this book and be blessed!

Busy Busy Busy!!

We recently purchased a new longarm quilt machine. This is a great upgrade for us. I was quilting on a Royal Kenquilt 12 but now I am quilting on a Gammill Statler Stitcher Optimum. I have been quilting a lot of my tops that have been waiting in line for me to have time. I always put my customers quilts first so this can really slow my own progress down. I have used my tops to get familiar with the machine and complete some gifts. I have started taking customer quilts and I am so pleased with the quality I am offering. Her is some pics of a few recent tops. 

This quilt was for a friend of ours newest little addition. She was so sweet to blog about it. You can see more great pics on her blog. I used a monkey pattern which I loved. I am sure I will use many more times in the future. Quilted on the Gammill

Here is some antique blocks I pieced together for a friend of mine. I just loved the look of this when it was quilted and washed. I love that slight wrinkle a quilt gets when you wash it. I quilted this one on my bernina with a walking foot. 

This is a kite quilt that has been waiting a long time to get quilted. This was finished while we still loved in Germany. It is from Quiltmaker Magazine March/April 1998. The quilting made it look like wind was blowing across the quilt. I put the new Love U line of fabric on the back from Moda. Quilted on the Gammill.

This quilt makes me smile every time I see it. I purchased the unfinished top at a quilt shop in Wichita, KS back in 2005. It was made with the Vienna nights collection of fabric. It is too small for my bed but so pretty.

This was the last quilt top I did on my old machine before I upgraded. I think it was a great end to a machine that has been such a benefit to our family. I can't wait to see all the great tops that I complete on the new machine. 

Great Bag Pattern

Recently I had the opportunity to do some pattern testing. I have designed patterns in the past and have had people test for me but never have I pattern tested for someone else. One of my favorite blogs Two Peas in a Pod. Trish asked a few months ago for pattern testers. I have enjoyed seeing her work and thought it would be great fun. She gave me a copy of her new Madison bag to test. I really enjoyed bringing her text to life. Many times when I am given a deadline or a challenge I will wait until the last moment. This bag was more like a mystery to me and I could not wait to see what it looked like finished.

This is how it all started out. I got the pattern in a PDF format so I could print it off and get busy. The actual pattern when it is purchased from her website will have the pattern pieces printed out on one sheet of paper. I had to tape mine together. 

I got right to work to solve the mystery. You might not think it was a mystery since I had a picture of the end result but that was her end not mine. My fabrics were different and from the picture I really could not tell the size of the bag. 

It said to add a strip of coordinating fabric on the flap but I thought that some pretty ribbon and lace would look oohhh so nice. 

I love how the bag came out in the end. My strap is shorter than the pattern instructions. Error on my part not the designer. 

I really like how the flap turned out. This flap has a snap closure. I have made many bags but this is only the second one with a snap. Pretty cool! I think many more of my bags are going to have snaps. 

A peek at the inside of this cute bag. I have this bag hanging in my quilt room. I just enjoy looking at it. I am not sure who I am going to gift with it yet. Or I might just decide to keep this one. If you would like to purchase a pattern for this great bag or one of Trish's other amazing bag patterns jump over to her blog and snag them up. Trish also designs cute girls dresses and accessories. If you buy one of her patterns let her know that you heard about her from me. 

Winner Announced and the Mystery stitcher revealed

This contest was a lot of fun. Although I was hoping for a little bigger response I am so happy that all of you voted for your favorite turtle. I believe most of you voted based on color and appearance. The person who challenged me said people would "like his turtle better." The construction of the two turtles was quite varying. I purposefully took photos that would flatter the turtles. Since this was  a contest of likability and not construction Lenny is clearly the winner. The person responsible for the winning turtle is none other that my hubby!!

I think he did a great job. This is not the first time he has sewn. He has made numerous projects over the years. He has also started longarm quilting with me recently. We upgraded our longarm to a Statler Optimum. The precision is amazing and I am having a blast practicing while learning about this new machine. 

Now what you all are really wanting to know is who won the seam ripper. I used random.org to get the number and the winner was: Nici

Nici said...

I cast my vote for Lenny! (Although both are adorable)!

I will contact Nici via e-mail to arrange shipment. If any of you would like to purchase any of my husbands great hand turned sewing and crochet aids please view our etsy shop. 

Thank you all again for your comments and votes. Please continue to check back for other giveaways. 

Meet Lenny and Josie / Giveaway

We have a winner.  I will announce it on Monday night. I  am heading out of town and will be unable to update until then. The suspense will have to hold you over for a little longer.

I had a challenge recently with someone close to me. They said they could make a better turtle. I am always up for a challenge. We stitched away together a few weeks ago and came up with two dashing turtles. We used Heather Bailey's pattern for Henrietta the turtle. I need your help though. Would you please cast your vote for your favorite turtle. I am giving away one of my husbands wood turned seam rippers as a prize to one of my voters. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner from the comments. When the voting ends on Thursday May 14th at Midnight I will post the winner and reveal the maker of each turtle. So without further ado.  I give you the turtles

Here is Josie! She likes to bask in the sun on rocks by the lake. 
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Heres is Lenny. He enjoys relaxing in the shade of the daisies. 
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I had to show off my pretty daisies in my flower bed by the lake. I planted these the first year we moved in and they have grown so well. They make me smile each time I see them .

The photo shoot was so taxing on the turtles that they fell over from exhaustion or maybe it was the Georgia heat. Either way you can see their bellies and underside of their shells. 

Here is a picture of the prize for one of my lucky voters. 

Another Great Adventure in Odyssey!!

I hope this is not the first time you have heard about this great collection of character building stories. Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of the newest album for me to review.  Our family has been long time fans.  Episode 51 is no exception. It is packed with great stories.  There is stories about all kinds of things kids face each day.  I find that more than just the kids enjoy these stories. My husband and I enjoy listening with our kids in the car. These adventures lead us to have some great discussions and learning moments. Whit introduces his newest invention The Inspiration Station. Some kinks need to be worked out but I am sure Eugene is up to the challenge.  There is some new characters introduced in the this album.  I think they are going to be great in the mix. The old favorites are there in all there hairless glory. Hehee ( You have to listen to understand that one.) 
Here is just a sample of some of the great stories: 

• dealing with clutter as a family
• bullies and how revenge can hurt more than just the intended target
• responsibility in taking care of pets
• take a step back into time to learn about the Jubliee singers from Fredrick Douglas himself
• good intentions are not always welcomed 
• a wedding , sort of! ( learn a little about another cultures wedding traditions and the value of family.)

If you haven't listened to an Adventure in Odyssey before this would be a great one to start with. 

I like making BAGS!

 

I have a great love for bags. My friend DeDee could attest to this. I love to buy them and make them. My mother also has a passion for them. This weekend our quilt guild had a workshop on making a simple tote that could be altered in many ways. I jumped on the chance to take this class. Not because I needed instruction on the how-to part of making bags but for two reasons.
1) I love to gain new ideas by seeing others completed works.
2) Who turns down the opportunity to sew with friends. Not Me!

Here is the bags that my mom and I made this weekend. You can tell our different tastes by just glancing at these bags.

Here is a close up view of my mom's bag. We have had this Asian cat fabric for a long time. We thought we might use it for a pillowcase but this project seemed more fitting. You can't see it in the picture but her front pocket his three divisions. The font and the back is the same. 

The teacher of this class wanted everyone to use a light fabric for the inside so it would be easier to find things inside. Well being the rebels that we are we choose differently. I have had this blue for for years and could never find a use for it. This was the perfect use. The fabric looks like it was made for this project. (Or atleast I think so.) She again added multiple pockets on the inside. 

So here you can see my bag. I used ACU tops that I purchased off of some of my husbands soldiers. It only cost me one homemade pie apiece. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself. I sewed velcro on the front of one of my pockets so I could add a name tape. The font and back of my bag has two pockets on each side. I did not put as many pockets as mom did. This for me was just a quick fun try a new pattern bag. It is a great basic bag that can be altered and I plan to alter it plenty in the future.