Cute Little Floor Mat

This cute little floor mat tutorial was posted bySew Mama Sew . I'm going to have to add this to my "Projects I Want to Make" list.

So much to sew!! So little time. I'm afraid work is going to be interfering with my hobby!! I was hoping to be able to sew this afternoon, but got an unexpected project today with a deadline tomorrow, so I'm going to have to work on that all day!! Poor me!!

Credit Where Credit is Due

I should have posted links to the tutorials I used for some of the things pictured below. My apologies. I'm new and this blogging thing, and I hadn't yet learned to put links in my posts.

The pin cushion was from Crazy Mom Quilts (please let this work!!)

The fabric basket was from Pink Penguin. These are so cute, I know I'll be making more of these!!

It's a Start

I found this cute beginner's quilt tutorial and I thought that would be a good place to start. It's a baby quilt, and it just so happens, I have a grand niece of nephew due to arrive in November. It was a lot of fun, although I think the block on the bottom right is a little wonky and I might have to work on that a little before I put it all together.

I also did a fabric basket and pincushion from tutorials I found by cruising quilting blogs, and made a cute little tote bag of my own design with some old fabric I had cut out for placemats years ago, but never put together. I've redecorated the kitchen a couple of times since then, so the placemats would be all the wrong color anyway. I also pieced an odd scrappy block, just for fun!!

The pin cushion tutorial was on Crazy Mom Quilts blog (see link on the side-bar). She also had done the fabric basket, but linked to a tutorial to another webside, and I'm sorry, but I can't find that again right this minute. I will post a link when I do though.


A new life for some old fabric. Just the right size to carry around some knitting!!

My scrappy just for fun block!! So I guess I'm on my way!! I can't believe how much fun I've had the past few days pulling out all my sewing stuff again. My mom passed away four years ago and I had boxes of things from her house in a closet that I've never gone through and I did that yesterday. It was raining outside and a good way to spend the afternoon!! She had dozens of quilt books, templates, and patterns. I was like a kid in a candy store!! Somewhere around here, are two quilts that she had partially pieced, but never finished. I'm going to finish those. One is a blue and white Ohio Star and the other is a Log Cabin in greens, whites and reds. I still miss her every day, and it was comforting in a way to be touching her things, and to use them.

I've been haunting the sale fabrics at WalMart and JoAnns to try and build up my fabric stash. It's pretty much non-existant at the moment. I know that will take time, since the budget is a bit tight right now. There are three or four nice quilting shops in town too, and I've been trying to stay away from those for the moment. I'd go nuts!! I am going to take some hints I found online though, and check out thrift shops for mens cotton shirts. I'll post a picture of some of the fabrics I picked up tomorrow.

Until then .... Terri

The Spirit is Willing ....

I used to sew a lot. I really enjoyed it. But with Honey, my husband of 35 years, three growing boys, a home-based business, and two dogs and two cats packed into a much-too-small ranch house, there was just no space for a sewing room. I had to drag my machine out and set it up on the kitchen table, gather my tools and fabric from the nooks and crannies where I had stashed it to keep it safe from my hooligans, and when meal time came, I had to put it all away again so we could eat. At some point, it became just too much trouble and I quit doing it.

Our youngest son, The Wonder Child, recently moved out and now we truly have an empty nest. Besides having more space, I have time now. So I've been daydreaming about setting up a sewing room in a corner of the basement. I have a long table in the basement already, and an old butcher-block looking kitchen table to use for a cutting table. I bought myself a new steam iron to replace the 35 year old one we got for a wedding gift (can you tell how much I iron?)

I've been surfing the web looking and quilter's blogs and getting all kinds of inspiration. I went to Wal Mart and bought a bunch of fabric. I'm excited. I want to get started. I can sew on the kitchen table until the sewing room is ready, since we don't eat there anymore.

So this weekend I started sorting through boxes of sewing stuff I've had packed away for years. I found a number of unfinished products, a small stash of fabric, a whole box of zippers, a can of buttons, and all kinds of other fun stuff.

Now, after all that, I'm too tired to sew!!

I have several projects I want to work on this week. In the meantime, I may post some pictures of things I've already done. (I haven't been sewing, but I took up knitting this past winter and found I really enjoy that too!!)

So, here I am, entering the blog world. Re-entering the world of quilting and crafting. After so long a soujourn, I'm treating myself like a beginner again.