YABBA DABBA DOO!

Flinstone fabric givaway! oh, there's an ott lite too.
http://welovequilting.com/october-give-a-way-2/comment-page-1/#comment-5709

Finally Put together!

Barb of Bejeweled Quilts by Barb sent me a stack of tumblers cut from Samoan fabrics prior to my surgery this summer. I worked on a layout and needed a few more pieces to do the quilt I really wanted to do... so I begged for a few more tumblers and Barb obliged (THANK YOU). But by the time the pieces arrived I'd already been sliced and diced myself. So I've had to wait until I could sew, and then until I could crawl around working the layout again on the floor (okay I really had to wait until Greg was free to crawl around on the floor while I ordered things moved from a distance-- but it's the same thing right?) Love you dear!

And tonight - from my crappy picture capabilities on my phone... I give you Somoan Sunrise!

I have to say that the fabrics bring back lots of memories of my trip to Hawaii when I was 16. My brother was 18 months. My dad was in meetings all day and much to my Mom's "enjoyment" my Aunt (Dad's sis) and her family flew in from California to visit and entertain us. Grandma had come along as the babysitter (she was in her 80's) and My cousin and I lost my brother in an elevator incident. We found him with a couple of Chinese ladies on another floor and they were taking their pictures with him. He also learned to swim that summer as he thought it was SOOO halarious to run from me and jump in the pool. I was a good swimmer though and caught him. Somedays - I can't believe he survived that trip. He's 20 now but he's always a toddler in my heart.

This is my brother and I at the Dole Pineapple Factory in 1991

AND THE WINNER IS......

I put all the entries in a bowl and then tossed in a few kitty treats for the cats to pick a winner.

Sir Sparky Fluffington the 3rd chomped.... um, drew out .......POKEY

Congrats on winning the Altered Paint Can Sewing Caddy!

Things I learned today.

Our camera has been sent back to the manufacture due to a 2008 recall so I don't have photos today. I made 10 sets of coasters (40 in all) for my Christmas Donation program.

I used the 4 3/4 inch square die for the Accuquilt Go cutter.

Tip #1 - it would have helped to have folded the fabric right sides together before cutting so they were ready to sew around. Rather than picking up each one and laying it back down.

Tip #2 - When you realize how tip number #1 would have helped, remove only the top cut square and lay aside - all other squares are now together as needed and only the top and bottom squares will have to be matched up.

Tip #3 - when flipping the squares right side out and attempting for an hour to poke out corners with your fingers, do not scream at husband for knowing that the non brush end of a paintbrush makes this task, quick and easy. Simply run the end of the handle around the seam line giving a little poke in the corner and you are done!

#4 When sewing.. keep fingers out of the way. My machine has a bar coming out the right side above the needle and I caught my finger between the bar and the top curve of the throat. Required a little cussing and a band-aid.

Next up on the TO Make list:

• "Credit" Card Holders
• Pot Holders (Do these really need the insulbrite) The ones I use are all crocheted
• Placemats - these were the disaster the other day I mentioned on Facebook)
• Bags-Greg's working on these/ Trudi volunteered (THANK YOU)
• Plastic Bag Keepers - Tonya volunteered (THANK YOU!)

Speculating on a Birth

This little birdie has been the feature of nearly every blog I read. The Accuquilt GO is about to reproduce... I don't know about you but I bet the delivery is fast and accurate with only minimal effort!

So what do you think it will be?

Here's my top 10 Accuquilt GO! Birth Possibility List:

10. TAILGATE custom cut steaks die for those perfect and tender ribeyes and t-bones featuring your favorite teams logo!

9. An automatic robotic thread cutting attachment because the thread scissors keep running away

8. Accuquilt branded chocolate found in a hidden compartment in the GO cutter for emergencies.

7. BLING! Deco Stickers for personalizing your GO CUTTER. Make Buster, Lady A-GO-GO, GO! GO! Girl or Gina LoGObrigida come alive with personality!

6. An alarm system that sounds off with "GO! Get GOing ! GO! Get your own! when non authorized users attempt to use your GO system.

5. Mini GO!s and mini dies for mini quilts. Because they'd be SOOOO CUTE!

4. A clock attachment to help GO Users not loose track of what day it is when they are having so much fun!

3. A USB umbilical cord to your computer for powering your computer off the grid by cranking your GO cutter. Economical - Lower your bills while sharing on Facebook and Blogger!

2. GO Feet so your Go can Go with you where ever you go!

and the #1 Birth Possibility

Accuquilt customer service Bobbleheads - take one home today!

A decision

I finished binding the wedding quilt tonight. Tomorrow it will go in the wash and get a label and then it will be tucked into a box so the cats quit trying to claim it belongs to them. Sparky and I have already had words and I've been getting "THE GLARE" as I've worked on it these past two nights.

Having this out of the way, frees me up to start on my little projects. I'm going to start making bags of different types, kitcheny items like potholders and place mats, hot pads and maybe even those potato cooker bags if I can figure it out and have time left. I haven't officially run this by my boss so I don't feel comfortable officially asking anyone to donate items. In the past, I've always just made what I could and that was good enough. I really don't expect more than about 10 women to attend the Holiday party but we are currently working with about 40. Each woman has on average 2 children. Last year Greg made a few crayon rolls for me. He even made his own crayons with that magic crayon maker. Let me tell you that was a mess! smells the whole house up like burnt wax and I don't recommend it. The crayon rolls were cute though.

I was trying to think of the things that I use everyday that make my life a smidgen better and my TO MAKE LIST keeps getting longer! love my plastic sack keeper - need to add that on there!


What are some little things that you use everyday that make life a little better?

Almost done.

All I have left to do is hand stitch the binding down. I really hate that part. I convinced Greg that his part in helping me is to read to me while I stitch. We've been on Seven Sisters by Earlene Fowler for several months now and need to get back to it!

Quilting Detour

I had planned to sew the binding onto my "wedding quilt" and take a few pictures this weekend. But the yard wasn't mowed.. sent G out to mow and he ran out of gas. So off he went to work and I decided I'd prep those binding strips. Turned on the machines... There's a network of cords to two power strips. Everything is tied together. It's like the sound the movie makes before it starts... *hhhmmmmthwwwwwannnngggggg* And ON come the lights and the power and the .... too dramatic? Long story short, my machine resets to the 0.0 needle position but my 1/4 inch foot requires a different position. So I snapped of the damn needle, rendering my machine useless because the extra needles are somewhere in G's .... well I can't type the word I'm thinking.... so I decided to do a little food prepping from our shopping trip.

I've spent the past few days pooring over the store add and the cookbooks to come up with easy and cheap meals. But I never really got around to making the list. And I may have gotten a few recipes confused... never the less - I give you SEAFOOD CHOWDER:


Made up of celery, carrots, potatoes, bacon, shrimp, fake crab, fake lobster, scallops, homemade chick broth, 1/2 n 1/2 and cajun seasoning. It's really good and add a little crusty bread with garlic butter and italian seasoning and it's just Cat-calling-riffic. I had at least 3 cats fighting to "sit" with me.

Usually in Sept. Greg and I go over to the Orchards in Weston MO. and have a cup of cider (frozen, cold or hot depending on current temps) and an apple fritter - only its an apple donut. But the bridges are all getting worked on. The normal 20 min drive would now take around an hour with a lot of back tracking. Only a few more weeks and the roads will be open and we can go for our pumpkins. In the meantime, I've really been craving the apple dishes I'd normally make this time of year. This is apple Oat Coffee cake. Apple cake with layers of oatmeal streusel. I've already had 3 pieces!!

I was going to freeze some servings of each... but I don't think they are going to be around that long!

CELEBRATION GIVEAWAY!

I'm GOING ahead with a Give-a-way of my own.

(watch for a combined B/G giveaway again

mid-October for the wedding anniversary)


I reached my one year blogging anniversary (and missed it back in Aug)! SO I'm working on getting organized and you can benefit! I'd also really like to reach 100 plus followers for the Accuquilt Blog sign up. Think you can help? Invite anyone who enjoys a good ramble.. or better yet those who enjoy a jumbled hodpodge of a ramble!

HERE's what you gotta do:


#1 Become a follower of my blog

#2 Leave me a comment that you became a follower/are a follower.

#3 Extra entries for each person who says you referred them.

Here's what you win!

Greg and I both use these as our Sewing Caddies. Lots of possibilities. Pincushion center is removable. It just squishes in there.

BTW - it's a tumbler -cut with the Accuquilt GO cutter

Side cups are removable if needed. Very handy for holding pens/safety pins/rotery cutters/seam rippers, stilletos.

And I even have stored fabrics and threads in the middle. It's also a GREAT hiding place for that secret stash of chocolate!

There might be a surprise for the winner in this one too.



PLEASE Keep in mind that I made this... me... not so perfect, likes to get it done... me. This was my first altered paint can too.

Drawing will take place on my 1 yr - 1 month anniversary

Sept 26th - 8pm

Missed it!

Can you believe that I missed my Blogiversary? . I've been trying to stay busy at work and was purusing different sites for "research purposes" and decided to look up exactly when did I start my blog. Aug 26th! So I think I need to do something to honor that soon. But our wedding anniversary is coming up soon too and two giveaways back to back might be challenging. Will have to talk it over with Greg. Right now I'm waiting on the man to pick me up and carry me away to our quilt meeting tonight. Buster is going to have his big debut! Don't wait up.

Needs New Eyes

It's at this point in just about every quilt when I throw down my rotery cutter and walk away in a huff. Yes, dear friends, I'm a tantrum quilter. Just before the blocks are sewn together - I HATE IT. I'm sure I've made the biggest mistake and wasted the money and the fabric. I critique every step I've made thus far and reduce myself to a pile of tears. A little time away and a lot of chocolate later, I usually sit down and sew the darn thing together "Just to get it done". Then I love it. I'm amazed how it all worked and came out together. I've been really trying to improve my skills and make seams match (haven't always cared about that) and make sure that I'm cutting presicely. So I'm not sure what happened yesterday... This one is a 1/4 inch too big,

the other a 1/4 inch too small. After measuring and rechecking and trying to find "the" problem area... turns out.. it's just me! My cutting is just slightly off, over and under the mark. My sewing lines wiggle JUST enough to throw it off and when those things combined = 1/4 inch off the mark.

So at this point I'm not sure if I should just cut everything down to fit, or just go with what I've got and hope that the overs and unders combine to make it all work. Cutting it down again scares me - I'm likely to be off again and if I keep cutting it down I just end up with a pile of pillow stuffing. Well here's what I'm going for from the Aug. 2009 American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.

It's for my Cousin's wedding. Their colors are Teal and Chocolate Brown.

I've got less than a month to get it finished, quilted and bound. I'd hoped to have it to the quilter by the end of this week.

oh my chest does rumble strong and tight

a sneeze from me causes quite the fright
My nose is runny but stopped up too
I just don't know how both can be true
I've rolls of tissues trailing after me
the cats do chase adding insult to injury

Oh to be well, a dream for sure
A full drawn breath, oxygen pure
how I long for sleep uninterrupted
or to taste just once what i supped-ted
an oath i udder in my wheezy rattle
to the germy invaders waging this battle

A prisoner in my bed I will no longer be
I have my heart set on sewing you see
I'm on a short deadline and down a day
Catch up I must and without delay
So I gathered my medicine and set my trap
but alas I'm now worn out and need a nap.