phooey....

See that map...that's where my wonderful husband will be for the next 6 months. We had 8 days notice for this deployment, so the last few days have been hectic getting all his gear together and packed up.

I don't know what's better...having months to prepare, or having just a few days to think about it. Either way, it pretty much stinks. But this is the life we signed up for and I wouldn't trade it for anything...the Air Force life has been good to us! I just don't have to jump for joy over these deployments, right??

So...on the quilty subject, most everything has been put on hold for the last few days. I'll have a bit more time I can spend sewing, so I should have lots to share!

As far as choosing a new iron, I've discovered that most of you are in the same predicament as I am. There just isn't a perfect iron out there! Most of you replied saying you had the same problems with leaking, lack of steam and heat, etc. Someone out there needs to figure out this problem for us quilters!!

Happy Quilting!

Soooo frustrated!

I have such bad luck with irons! I've tried all kinds of irons...from all price ranges. Something always seems to go wrong. The steam quits, the heating element goes out...or like this Rowenta (which is around 6 months old!), they begin to leak from the bottom. Seems like I go through irons about every 6-12 months. This one is not only leaking, I found it last night and my ironing board was soaked. I picked it up and it was just pouring out of the bottom. I really liked this iron too! It was nice and "heavy" and had good steam.

I'm at my wits end! And I guess I'm in the market for yet another new iron. What kind do you use? I NEED one with lots of steam...I'm a steam freak! LOL

Pics to share....

I've been pretty productive this week! It's been nice to have the time to get back to the hobby that I love! I've been working on my January goals along with throwing a few other things in here and there.

Why is it when we see something, we have to have it too! Peggy made a Valentine runner for her daughter this week, and I thought, "I want a Valentine runner, too!" So I pulled a few reds and pinks and voila! I have a new runner for my coffee table. I wish my camera took better pictures...it seems I can never get the colors to look like they do in real life. :(

I also completed two more months of the 2009 Thimbleberries Club blocks. This one is month 8 and....

...month 9. If you are familiar with the 2009 club, you might notice that I did the 6" blocks wrong. I didn't notice until I was pressing one of the last seams. Ain't no way I'm going to remake these blocks, so it is what it is. I like the block the way it is anyway!

I also finished another Busy Little Elves block. I still need to assemble the pieced part of the block. I enjoy working on these while watching TV, especially shows like Biggest Loser that are on for TWO HOURS. I can't just sit and do nothing. :P

This is Whiskers, aka Quilt Inspector #1. She's a little more camera shy than Smokey, so you won't see her picture as often. But I snapped these two this week. I don't know why she thought this spot was comfortable, maybe it was the heat from the Ott Light. She also just likes to be near me. My computer is right next to the sewing machine.

Here she is practicing her inspection skills. I had cleared off my cutting table and she jumped right up to check it out. She really does like sleeping on this table because that lamp puts out a lot of heat. She needs to keep those old bones warm. :)

Okay...back to sewing for me. Happy Quilting!

Officially finished!!

My first official finish of the New Year! The Fresh Traditions quilt is completely done! I finished the binding this afternoon...and, yes, I did throw it in the washer and dryer! It has a flannel backing, so it's super soft and cuddly. I sure hope the new momma and baby will enjoy it!

You can see Smokey, aka Quilt Inspector #2, was dying to check it out. I made him stay off though. :)

Now on to the next project on the list....

Happy Quilting!

Pluggin' away on those goals!

So the first week of the new year is passed. How am I doing on my goals? I think pretty good. I exercised every day this week! That's pretty huge in my opinion! I also made progress on one of my quilting goals. This pretty pink quilt is a pattern called Fresh Traditions. It was in a magazine a couple years ago, but I don't remember which one! Today I finished the quilting and have the binding sewn to the front. All that's left is to hand sew the binding. I fully anticipate having it done this weekend!

As you can see, Quilt Inspector #2 went right to work. The quilt is backed with flannel, and it was like a magnet to this cat! As soon as it went on the floor, he had to check it out.

Then he proceeded to fall asleep, where he still is as I type this! Crazy cats! Don't worry, I'll be washing this quilt before giving it to it's intended recipient! 'night 'night kitty....

Last thing I wanted to share. See the picture below? This is a jumble of blocks from three different "bag 'o blocks" and look how nicely they go together? All the fabrics are various Thimbleberries fabrics. The courthouse steps were a lotto win from a yahoo group I belong to, the "sampler" blocks are leftovers from various swaps over the years, and the trees are extras I made from the 2008 Thimbleberries club. I'm really pleased with the possibility of crossing off three bag 'o blocks off my UFO list!!

I didn't sew these together yet. I decided to pick them up and put them away for now because I needed to focus on the baby quilt pictured above and my original goals! LOL I think later this weekend I might sew them together though!

Hope you all have a wonderful, quilty weekend!

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it's 2010 already? I can't, but I'm excited for what this year will bring. We have lots of changes coming up...including a move to...??? As soon as the Air Force decides to tell us, we'll know! :)

So, New Year always brings thoughts of plans, goals, resolutions, etc. I usually set some goals and resolutions, but I've not always been great at keeping them! Of course, there is the old favorite that I say every year....exercise more and lose some weight. As I'm getting older and older, that one is becoming more and more important. :P

For the hobby side of my life, I've decided to make smaller monthly goals and hopefully that will help me feel like it's a little more achievable. I've made a list of three things for January:

1. quilt/bind Fresh Traditions top for a baby gift
2. finish quilting and bind a lap size quilt, half the quilting is already done
3. spend at least one afternoon cutting scraps into usable pieces

So, that doesn't look too bad, does it? Of course, you'll see pictures here if I was successful!

Also, I've decided to keep a journal of all quilty/sewing related projects I complete. I have a list of UFO's and projects that I need to finish, but I start and finish a lot of new projects during the year that aren't on that list...it may be a whole quilt, a table runner, a gift I made for someone, etc. But because of my poor memory skills, I'll look back every so often and think, "What did I even accomplish this year?" because nothing is crossed off my UFO list! So this year, I'm going to write down every little fabric basket and table runner I make! :) That way, I can look back and see that I really did accomplish something.

So the first thing I need to keep track of things is a journal! What's a quilter to do...make one, of course! My friend and retreat buddy, Conni, sent me a pattern/kit for a notebook cover and I was able to make two from the kit! It's perfect for what I need. I spent the first day of 2010 making these little cuties.


The second cover will be saved and used for a special time that I can't speak of just yet! :) Thanks so much Conni!

I hope that 2010 is a happy and blessed year for your family! I am so thankful for my family and friends...and that includes my blogging friends. I love being able to share my love of quilting with all of you and I'm inspired daily by all your creativeness!

Happy Quilting!