Tradition...

We have this great tradition at our house. (at least I like it a lot)
 Every year for our anniversary I get a bouquet with one more rose, for the newest year.   This year my flowers numbered 43, and were absolutely gorgeous.  We picked them up 2 days before our trip, so we wedged them into the back of the SUV, between the golf bags, and took them with us, to be able to enjoy for the week with our friends in Savannah.   They lasted a total of 10 days, and still looked decent. (don't ever cut the stems without having them under water) actually, we didn't even cut them, we just added a bit of water every day or so,and they did great... Thanks Dierbergs-- you always do a super job on my flowers !!!

Aprons for Haiti

The word was out..... The "Nannies" who take care of the little ones in Haiti needed APRONS ! They needed them with pockets to tuck necessary things in, too.... Here are some I've made, and am getting ready to send. Mostly they were made with pillowcases that I've found and washed, and some double bias tape and a homemade pattern.... Oh, also, I used my NEW SERGER on the edges..... It's just a dream to use. (got a deal, the Jackman's fabrics is going out of business)

If you'd like to join in and sew some aprons, little girls pillowcase dresses, or make some "ditty bags" to send items to Haiti, click here...... http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/

No Oprah selections here...

My daughter and I have our own little book club. We decided to choose a book, and read it together, talking about it as we go. (She's on the west coast and I'm in Missouri) Our first selection was the diary of Anne Frank. It really is an amazing account of the life of a Jewish family at the time of Hitler's Germany. I'm almost through it, and our next selection will probably be something like Twain or Dickens...

2 More Baby quilts ready to go !

2 more quilts.... they may not look like baby quilts, but I love to use up the fabrics that I have and try to "babyify" them....

The first one is different because it uses a large piece of a dominant print, surrounded by a strip of leftover prints from an earlier quilt. I added the lighter border this morning- to increase the overall size, and because I think it looks better with a lighter edge.

The brightly colored 9 patch one uses a pattern that is new for me. I ran across this bunch of Laurel Burch fat quarters while I was making my bags for Haiti, and thought they would make a fun bright baby quilt. I love the playfulness of the Laurel Burch prints. The prints here are probably 5 or 6 years old, and I was just lucky enough to find an additional 1/2 yard on ebay to add as the final border, to tie the idea and prints together.

Now, it's off to Sally, the incredible machine quilter who finishes my quilts with batting and backing. Then I cut a matching strip 3" wide, iron it in half, and machine stitch to the top edge. I whip stitch the other side by hand. (I do this while watching tv in the evening, when I'm too tired to do anything else !) ha ha !

Bags for H A I T I

I saw the tutorial about the bags for Haiti and remembered putting similar items together in boxes as a child. I don't remember who they were for, but I vividly remember the process, and loving it !!!!

I started making the bags out of my "stash" fabrics for my quilts, and I guess I just couldn't stop. ( It's like my mother used to say, "It's like eating salted peanuts") Anywho- I started sewing the bags and before you know it I had over 50... Then I made some smaller bags, just because I had some fat quarters of material that I couldn't figure out what to do with...

I found the items that were needed, and my sister, Linda, helped out with the granola bars, and toys, as well as other items that we had run out of.... My wonderful dentist, Dr. Michael White in Webster Groves, was kind enough to donate more than enough of the toothpaste tubes to fill all the bags, and then some !!!! THANK YOU BOTH SOOOOOO MUCH !!!

We (my sis and I ) spent all day Wednesday filling and packing up the items for the kids and even some adult bags for HAITI. Now I have to make sure they make it to their destination, in Milwaukee, so they can be shipped to the kids who can really use the items...

Our newest venture is the making of "pillowcase" sundresses for the little girls of Haiti, and pillowcase aprons with pockets, for their moms... Also, diapers for the babies, which can be washed and re-used, over and over again. Can you Help?? DO you have a sewing machine, and would you love to do your part to help? If so, go to the website to see how to make some easy patterned dresses for the children who were victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

In our bags we included:

Washcloth

Soap

Toothbrush

Toothpaste ( thanks Dr. White !)

4 Granola bars

Toy and stuffed animal

Hard candy

Valentine Bags for Chase and Hunter

Have had such fun making the ditty bags for Haiti (up to about 50 now) that I've been making other lined bags as well. I took my grand baby to the fabric store and let her pick out fabric for several bags for her and her sister. I didn't like the way the raw edge showed at the side of the casing, so I devised a way to tuck it under and clip to the seam to sew the side seam.

I measured 1" from the top edge, and 5/8" from the side and made a dot. I clipped the fabric to the dot and pressed under the little section. Then I sewed my casing, and pivoting on the dot, continued to sew the seam... If that's not clear, I tried to take a few pictures to explain how I did it.

I also made a few quilts for the Haiti children, and with the leftovers, I stitched some bags for my nephews twins, Chase and Hunter for Valentines Day... I filled them with "boy" type books, and crayons, coloring books, candy and stickers. They were out for the day, so I left a surprise for them when they got home. Such fun ! Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day !!!

Baumcat: Hope Ditty Bags for Haiti Children

Baumcat: Hope Ditty Bags for Haiti Children

quilt of LEFTOVERS

The whole idea of one of the earlier quilts was to use up scraps and make use of worn out dresses and other clothing. I had loads of left over strips, and squares from the quilt I made for my son's birthday, so I put them to use and made this lap quilt for him... He can keep warm watching football on these cold nights. I changed the pattern a bit, and added an additional small stripe- just to keep it interesting (for me- ha !) I just finished the binding so I posted it to share.

I had soooooooooo many leftovers from this one that I also made a small reversible version which I sent to my daughter, too.... Guess next time I shouldn't get so carried away buying fabric !!

thanks for the help!

I'm going with curtain Number 1 !! Actually, that's the first one I designed, but then decided to "play" a bit. Everyone else seems to like number 1 too. I guess it functions as a "whole unit" better than the others, due to the repetition. Of course, as you can see, I need to do a lot more of these flying geese, and x shaped squares.... Just keep going, I tell myself, don't think about how many !!!

Quilt decisions !!!

HELP ! If someone out there has an opinion on this, please let me know !

Sometimes when I make a quilt the piece can be assembled in various ways, making COMPLETELY different "looks", because the pieces form secondary patterns, which, in themselves can be either what you like, or distracting, or just look "disorganized" in a way,,,

I remember the first quilt I ever made, which was a logcabin design, back in 1987, when our family lived in Monterey, California. I remember laying it out on the livingroom floor, rearranging the pieces like a huge puzzle, until finally deciding how I liked the pieces put together. (My daughter still has that quilt, and even with it's old dated colors of mauve and blue, she loves it and won't stop using it)

Anyway, this red and white are rather "involved", if you know what I mean. The pieces are very small and intricate, and involve corner stitching, rather than just parallel or perpendicular seams. They are also challenging because I need so many pieces. I started out with a baby quilt in mind, but reallty loved the way it looked so much that I decided to make a full comforter for Gracie, when she gets a big bed at my house.

Okay, so here's the gist... Do you like the pattern of the smaller pieces in picture 1, 2, or 3 ?

There are subtle differences, and the pattern will look different overall if they are moved around. I have 16 boxes for each square, and each box contains two sections of "flying geese", if you know that term.

Which do YOU like ? thanks for your opinions- just leave a comment and I will appreciate it !

NEW QUILTS for NEW BABIES

Two New Quilts--- 5--- NEW BABIES in 2010 !! Here are two quilts for two of them... (One is going to London with my daughter on Wednesday) So exciting for the brand new Grammies and PaPas, too !

One of these quilts is made from Mary Englebreit fabrics, and the other is a new pattern I've done only once before. Love trying something different for a change. --

Christmas outfits

Here are a couple of the outfits that I made for the baby girls for Christmas... I found some adorable selections of corduroys that I found irresistable, and made up four different ones.... I tried to complete the jumpers with matching tights and turtlenecks.... JoAnn's fabrics is a wonderful resource for patterns and fabric ! It's been so long since I've sewn little clothes, most of my recent projects have been quilts !! It was fun !

This is the best I could do, I'm afraid... My camera was crying for new batteries, and of course I didn't have them with me.

The "SOIREE" at Recycled Rose was so much fun... All the artisans who make things for the shop were there with their "wares". We visited and talked to customers, and nibbled on homemade treats. Loads of people were there, and many did their Christmas shopping!

Lin had her wonderful boxes for Christmas, filled with decorated journals to keep track of all the Christmas happenings. Her wreaths were a real hit, made of recycled Christmas glass ornaments. They are stunning.

My niece, Carrie brought her beautiful "bling" -perfect for the holidays coming up ! Her children's clothes are precious, and soooo very unique. They range in size from 3-8. She also sells on Etsy, under the name Milly and Margo.... (Carrie Benkelman)

I painted on a portrait of Carries daughter, Margo, to show my process to those who wandered through the Christmas treasures. I also sell individual handmade vintage cards, and the altered mini-journals, as well as my decorative pillows.

Some of the wonderful items there are gorgeous jewelry by the "Con Artist", handmade sheep from felted wool, by Laurie, oh so sweet hand crocheted hats and things, womens very unique styled clothing, and all sorts of great vintage and handmade CHRISTMAS DECOR !!

Sorry, my camera was not ready to go with fresh batteries... I know the pictures would have been better to explain what fun we had !!

A Friday Thanksgiving ! Perfect !

What a fun time we had today ! Baby Madison, Jeff and Arica's 6 month old , Grace Ann, and Katie stole the show, of course...

We had a full-fledged Thanksgiving Meal - Lin, thanks for the wonderful mashed potatoes, by the way !!! It was a gorgeous day, and we all ate until we were almost comatose from the triptophan. We missed having our Tracey, and Carrie, Michael, Margo and Milly, also, Chris, Sheila, Chase and Hunter, who are still sick. We hope the boys are feeling better soon.

Family is the BEST !!! Can't beat it ! it's fun "MAKING MEMORIES" for everyone !

Cookie Day

Last Friday was our (my sister's and my) 3rd Annual Cookie Bake Day.
We got quite a lot done, and shared the morning with Milly, my sis's cute grand daughter. We managed to finish 4 types, with at least 2 more to go. If we make the double batch of rolled out sugar cookies that takes quite a long time, by the time they are all iced. We froze the finished ones, and after the next session we will put them on platters to give to our kids as early as early Christmas gift.... Hoorah !

Adam Lambert

Adam, Your performance on the American Music Awards was a disappointment. So many people that I know really thought you were great. We certainly were fine with your lifestyle preference, and loved to watch your performances on American Idol, waiting to see what you would come up with next... You have overstepped the line now though, I'm afraid. Most do not want to see sexual innuendo taken to this extreme, and certainly you did things that would never be considered acceptable, whether from the heterosexual or homosexual entertainer.

I guess you went overboard just to get talked about, and create a stir, as you always did on the Idol show. If that is the case then, that is what you did, and maybe this is the reaction you were trying for. I really would love to see you come back and tone it down some, so that we can the great singer develop into the true talent that I think you are ! Think About it !

MINI JOURNALS

Here are some of the new altered mini journals I've been working on for Recycled Rose in Glendale. They are little blank journals that I collage to sell as gifts or to use to jot reminders, or to do lists.....

I first sand and paint all four surfaces, and cover with background papers that I have selected. Each front, back and the inside covers becomes a small collage with mostly vintage images that go along with the theme of the book. I embellish the images and tie the idea together if I can to give it cohesiveness. These have been lots of fun to do, and they are selling quite well, earning me a bit of extra cash to put back for Christmas gifts !! ho ho ho ~~