Another new project.....

Sew, Mama, Sew had a tutorial contest a while back. While browsing through the entries, I found one I knew I should do. My daughter breastfeeds and bought a great cover-up on ebay. It keeps her covered, and has boning in it so she can look down and see baby Abbie. Well, guess what?? Christina over at The Sometimes Crafter did a tutorial on a breastfeeding cover up. I had a yard of beautiful black and white print cotton and took an hour. This is what I ended up with....


The instructions were clear, easy to follow and very simple. 1 yard of fabric, 2 D rings and bit of time are all that are needed.

Thanks Christina....

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

It's not almost done, It's not blog done, Its

COMPLETELY DONE!!! Yea... I spent part of Saturday doing the quilting and binding on the Spring Fling 2008 swap quilt. This morning I made the label and did the last bit of hand sewing on it. I hope "?" likes it. It is winging it's way somewhere a long way away or somewhere close.

I mailed it off this morning.

Now, I can sit by the mail box and wait for mine to come to me.

Thanks Margaret for hosting this swap. I keep thinking I am missing something? Do you ever type out your complete blog and think "what am I missing"? hmmm......

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Oh, sure....you wanted a photo....

I went to the mailbox......

and what did I get??

A JOB!!!

Now do you know anyone else that can do that?? Huh?? Anyone??

I walked across the street (because we are in a rural area and the mail lady only goes up one side of the street) and my across the street neighbors were outside.
"Hi", I call, being nice and neighborly. "Hi" they say, being the same. And then it happened. The Mom asked if I knew anyone that watched kids after school and snow days. She has a girl and a boy that stay at another neighbors, but that neighbor is heading out into the "real" work force after the summer. So....guess I will be here every day from 4:15pm until 5:45pm. Hey, I will get a little cash and her kids will be safe and maybe, just maybe I can get the little girl to like sewing....

Now, how do I break it to my sister-in-law that I won't be going on sewing retreat this year with her??

Come back tomorrow as I will be showing the FINISHED Spring Fling 2008 quilt top.

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

A little of this, a little of that and a little advice.....

This morning DH and I headed out to go to a couple of Auctions. The first one started at 10am and although they had some good prices going, I really didn't see anything I needed or wanted (except for a box of linens, but it was going to be an hour or more before they got to that table). The second one didn't start til noon, but we dropped down there at about 10:30am and all they had was some red plates and bowls I would have bid on, but we would have had to wait 1 1/2 hours before it even started. So then we hit two Flea Markets on the way home, but they were crap. Junk with a capital "J". Stuff I wouldn't sell at a garage sale.

So a wasted morning.

I found this recipe at Linda's blog. I couldn't find a flank steak in town yesterday so I bought a london broil. Hey Linda, is that the same thing? Or does flank steak go by some other name here in the midwest? Anyway, it is in it's ziplock and marinating away.Will throw that on the grill tonight and add a sliced tomato salad and veggie. We aren't much for potatoes at this house, but boy we can certainly go through the bread, and I found some wheat rolls on half price yesterday. DH is happy with red meat and couldn't care less what I serve with it. He will only eat the meat.

My birthday is in a couple of months and I want a small sewing machine to take to classes, retreats and quilt guild.

So I want one that does a nice blanket stitch, has needle up/down and hands free (knee lift) would be a bonus. I am not looking for any particular brand but do want one that is light weight.

Any ideas????

I have a purse commission to finish today, then hopefully I will get some blocks sewn together. If not, Judy is having a Quiltathon this coming week and since Rock Star starts summer school Wednesday and DH is out of town on Thursday the timing couldn't be better.

Did you go to summer school when you were a kid? If you did, then it's because you failed a class. There was quite the stigma attached to summer school. Now summer school is something the kids sign up for and look forward to going. They can take sewing classes, pottery classes, the bus runs it's regular schedule so working dad's and mom's aren't inconvenienced and if that wasn't enough our school district PAYS you to go to summer school. Rock star will earn $100 for perfect attendance in his American Government class in summer school. This is a required class. If he takes it during the year, he wouldn't get paid. What a deal!! And he can fit in another elective class during the year. WOW!!! I wish I could go to summer school.

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Todays progress....

I had a couple of hours in the sewing room this afternoon.. I got all my "wifely" duties done including letting the rock star drive me to the local grocery to get pizza cheese. If you live near St Louis, you have most likely heard of Imo's pizza. It is indescribable. And if you are from St Louis, you don't ever say Pizza behind Imo's. You just say Imo's and everyone knows what you are talking about. Imo's now markets their special cheese and we can only find it at one store around here. My favorite is fresh thin sliced tomatoes and Imo's cheese. That's all. I love it. Of course DH and rock star will add pepperoni and DH will add bacon and anchovies....UGH!!

So back to the sewing room. I have ALL the blocks done for TicTacMo.


24 plaid blocks
16 alternate blocks with 3 light color blocks
15 alternate blocks with 4 light color blocks
4 corner blocks

Hopefully sometime this weekend I will get a chance to sew some blocks into rows and then some sew some rows together.

Anyone in St Louis want to see Sex in the City? My sis wants to go, but can't find anyone to go with her. She says I need to go even if I have never seen the TV show. Uh no....sorry....

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

Yes Linda, it is Amazing.....

Linda posted this link this morning.
Go, be amazed at the photos and please click on the video at the bottom of the page and watch him machine quilt.

Back later with an update on the Christmas quilt. Need to do some wifely things this morning, like cleaning out the fridge and grocery shopping...ugh!!

Happy Sewing,
Nancy

It takes a Village.....

and a door, and a fan and Carole King on the cd player.... to drown out the noise coming from the "guest/music room". Ah summer..kids home....and NOISE!! Did I mention that he brought home the bass electric guitar from school to practice for Jazz Band next year?? Yea....now we have 2 electric guitars, 1 LARGE amp, 1 acoustic guitar and a keyboard... Are we nuts?

I sewed for about two hours today and got a lot accomplished. Yesterday's project is now here.....


24 blocks 16 side pieces and 50 parts of blocks

This morning, I woke up the Rock Star at 8:30am and told him we would leave in about an hour to get his radio unlocked and run other errands. He idea was he would drive to the car dealer and get the radio unlocked, drive me back and then I could drive back into town and do my own errands. Uh NO!! We will use YOUR gas to do errands.
He is a new driver so I planned it so we could make mostly right turns....(which helps the screaming!) So off to the car dealer where they didn't even charge me for unlocking the radio that locked itself when DH fixed some front end wiring. (some dealers charge $30 for this). Then to the Post Office, the Pharmacy, the grocery store and the quilt store.

I survived....and so did he...

Happy Sewing,
Nancy